Serena's English Adventure
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: Side-story to my series...Serena's quest for the legendary Kasamune brings her to England.  Will she find more than she bargained for?
1. Chapter 1

**Legal: **I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, places, events etc. Anything not covered by the above rights is to be considered purely the creation of the author.

**Rating: **T – may be some adult themes.

**Timeline: **Just filling some time before the next ep. This story will mainly focus on Serena and the latest step in her quest.

The Rangers finally arrived back in the US, their plane touching down after another long flight. Emily bounded excitedly out of the arrivals lounge, the excitement of getting home obviously getting the better of her. Mike just laughed to see the change in her mood from the last time she had flown.

"I think the herbal stuff Daisuke gave Emily for the flight was a little strong." He commented to Antonio. The Gold Ranger just nodded his head in agreement.

"Which cup?" He asked in response. "She had about four before take-off."

"Something tells me she could probably have flown home without the need for a plane." Jayden commented as they followed her through the airport. He put an arm around Antonio, at which the Gold Ranger just smiled awkwardly. Daisuke had already called him on his feelings for Jayden. Although he had always known he was gay, he had never really felt so strongly for anyone before.

Thinking about it now though, he was beginning to think of things a little differently. People had already commented that they thought it was odd that he had spent the last sixteen years training so hard and working towards his debut as the Gold Ranger. He hadn't only studied Martial Arts everywhere and anywhere he could find tuition, he had worked with technology and the advice of Octozord to create his own tech, and he had even discovered a symbol power all of his own. He had accomplished what had taken most their entire lives, all based on a promise he had made when he was only six years old. People had commented that they thought it was a little odd that he had taken such a promise so seriously.

As soon as he got back into town, he and Jayden had picked up exactly where they had left off all those years ago. It was heartening to know that the friendship he had with Jayden had spanned all those years. As soon as he realised who Antonio was, it was like he had never left. They were once again the two kids that played together. Antonio was the only one who had ever made Jayden feel like a normal kid, his only distraction from training. While Mentor Ji loved him, and raised him as his own, it wasn't quite the same with him. Even a lot of the hobbies he took part in with Jayden, like the ancient board games were a part of his training. With Antonio, he could just forget that he was responsible for so much, and just be a kid, even if it was only for a few minutes.

Antonio knew that something about the way he felt about Jayden changed though as he became used to living in the Shiba House. They were no longer kids, and while they still goofed around together, things had changed. It was just the way with growing up. Over time, Antonio found it harder and harder to deny to himself that he was falling for his best friend.

"Taxi!" Jayden called out as they arrived outside, flagging down the first cab he could find. "Alright guys, it's been a long trip, but it's almost over!"

"I can't wait to see how Ji's been keeping himself busy." Mike commented as they began loading bags into the vehicle. "Who wants to bet he's been meditating non-stop since we left?"

"Well it won't be long till we find out." Jayden responded as they climbed into the cab. "You've got to admit, its good being home."

Over in London, Serena was having a very different experience of travel. The flight from Italy to England was only about an hour, but this mission was going very differently from her previous ones. Rather than having most of the information she needed right from the word go, very little was known about the Kensington family, outside of the fact they were an old-money family with several mansions, and a passion for hunting and expensive items. The Bed and Breakfast she was staying in had a direct view to a pub that was frequented by the Kensingtons. In short, right now all she was able to do was watch and wait for an opportunity.

She had read all the newspapers as she waited for the Kensingtons to arrive at the pub for their evening meal. While she had only been in London for one day, from the way they interacted with the people there, it seemed they were creatures of habit. She tossed the newspaper aside and sighed as the boredom started to overtake her.

"Hayley, are you sure you don't know anything else about them?" Serena asked her. "I mean, all we're after is that sword..."

"I doubt they'll be keeping it in a city centre apartment." Hayley reminded her. "If they're keeping it anywhere, it'll be at one of their estates."

"So all I need to do is walk up to them and say... 'hey perfect strangers, would you mind taking me to your mansion and showing me your priceless collection of antique swords?'"

"I guess you could always try that approach." Hayley stated. "Although I was doing a little digging, and I think I might have found a better way. It seems that at this time of year, the Kensingtons like to get some of their friends together in a shooting estate they own in the country for a three day hunting party."

"Hunting?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, apparently the price is ten thousand and upwards for an invite. Only the crème de la crème need apply." Hayley told her.

"Ten grand, that's about what? 18 thousand American?" Serena asked her. "I think I'll just check the back pocket of my jeans."

"Well, fortunately there is another way to secure an invite." Hayley assured her.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?" Serena muttered. "Okay Hayley, what's the plan?"

"Well, apparently they really like to have a good time. A lot of women go to the estate with the guys." Hayley began.

"That's your plan?" Serena asked her. "You want me to pose as eye candy?"

"If it helps, I've heard that Edward's son, Frederick Kensington has something of a weakness for Americans." Hayley said to her. Serena just looked to the window as she saw the Kensingtons' Bentley arriving. "The hunt party is this weekend, they head out on Friday."

"Friday? That's tomorrow!" Serena protested.

"I guess you better work quickly to make an impression then." Hayley commented. "This should help."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Serena just sighed.

"I really hate it when you do that." Serena commented as she opened the door, finding a delivery guy outside. He handed her a package, which she signed for, and brought it inside. She opened the box, finding a little black dress inside.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding!" Serena stated, picking up the dress and inspecting it thoughtfully. "The things I do for the Samurai."

The Rangers arrived back at the Shiba House, making their way into the Living Room, finding Mentor Ji in front of Mike's Wii, playing a spirited game of tennis. Mike just let out a little cough, letting him know that they were there. He looked around to them, with a look on his face that just kind of screamed 'busted'.

"I...uh...Daisuke never told me you were heading home." He commented.

"Obviously." Mike chuckled. He put down the remote and turned to face them. "So, do you have it?"

"Right here." Antonio told him, handing him the wooden box. Mentor Ji smiled as he opened it, seeing the Black Box within.

"Excellent!" He called out.

"I managed to hack in." Antonio told him. "I've already programmed the Blue Power Disk into it, but we were interrupted before we could complete the task."

"Then that will be your priority." Mentor Ji told Antonio, handing the Black Box back to him. "The others will split your chores among themselves to free up your time."

They groaned as they heard this, but Antonio didn't seem to be complaining. The Black Box was the greatest challenge his skills had ever faced, and he was eager to get back to it. The computer nerd in him just couldn't resist the challenge of the ultimate hack job.

"I won't let you down." Antonio assured them. "I'll just go and get started."

With that, he went into the room he shared with Jayden.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm kind of beat after that journey." Mia said with a yawn as she made her way towards her room. "I think I'm just going to lie down."

With that, she made her way towards her room with Emily close behind her. The euphoria caused by Daisuke's herbal remedies were beginning to subside, and it looked like she was close to crashing. She helped the Yellow Ranger to the girls' room, leaving the others with Mentor Ji.

"I think we should unpack." Jayden announced, allowing them to all leave the room. Mentor Ji just watched them go, before turning back to the Wii and starting up the game again.

"Alright Murray, let's see how good you really are." He said with a smile as he hit the serve.

Back in London, Serena made her way into the pub, making sure she passed by the Kensington's table on her way to the bar. It looked like they were already starting the party, having reserved a large table, which was surrounded by people. They were all dressed in suits, many of them also sporting expensive jewellery in a gross display of excess.

It was a rather nice little place, the decor of the interior made up largely of dark wood, and classical paintings. There was a large Union Flag behind the bar, which had a number of chrome taps on it. There were many bottles behind the bar, and there was a fire place, which burned in the corner. She ordered a glass of white wine from the bar, and made her way over to the large, leather chairs there, taking a seat by the fireplace. Not only was it a comfortable chair, it was also positioned in such a way that it had a perfect view of the Kensington's table.

She took a sip of wine as she picked up a paper, just to cover her so it wasn't obvious she was looking their way. She noticed the figures at the table, taking them in.

Edward Kensington was an elderly man, somewhere around his early sixties. He was bald, with a white handlebar moustache, and thick glasses. He was wearing a classic white suit that looked like it would have been in fashion somewhere around thirty years ago. He seemed to be a jovial man, raising laughs from the numerous guests at his table.

Frederick was a little more subdued. He was a tall, large man, wearing a black suit with a white shirt and deep, red tie. He had short, brown hair, and a handsome face, with smooth, tanned skin. He was not as sociable as his father, barely speaking or laughing. If anything, he just satisfied himself just sitting back, sipping his whisky. She caught him casting the occasional glance her way and just smiled. Hayley's plan appeared to be working. All she needed was to ensure that she didn't make herself too obvious.

"Bloody awful business isn't it?" She heard a thickly accented voice say. It was only then that she noticed Frederick standing before her. "Would you mind if I sit down?"

"Be my guest." She replied. He took a seat, putting a bottle down on the table as he sat opposite her, gripping his glass gently.

"Your accent...you're American." He commented.

"Yes, I am." She answered him. "What do you mean bloody awful business?"

"The front page." He stated. Serena looked to the front page of her paper, seeing a picture of a kid that could only be about 17 or there about. The headline declared him to be missing from Eton. Serena had heard of the school, it was a very exclusive private school in the United Kingdom, which had a tremendous reputation. Indeed, many members of the Royal family had attended Eton.

"Yeah, it is sad." She commented. "Sorry, where are my manners? I'm Kat...Kat Hillard."

"Frederick Kensington." He answered, leaning forward and shaking her hand in a strong grip. "Um...sorry to ask, but I couldn't help noticing you looking..."

"Here was me thinking I was being subtle." Serena told him. "I kind of know who you are."

"Really?" He asked her, becoming curious. "I wasn't aware my family's fame had extended beyond our borders. My father has never been too fond of the Americas. Personally, I was always fascinated by them."

"Glad to hear it." She replied. "I have to admit, that I kind of wanted to find you."

"Now I really am curious." He responded, giving her a little look. He waved over a waiter and requested another glass. "Would you like some? It's my favourite brand."

"I would think it would be for fifty pounds a shot." Serena commented. He just smiled, seemingly a little impressed. He poured her a glass.

"So why did you want to meet me so badly?" He asked her. She shifted a little closer on her chair.

"Is it so hard to believe I just want to get to know you better?" She asked him. He gave her a little smirk and finished his drink.

"Perhaps something can be arranged." He suggested. "How do you feel about hunting?"

"I grew up on a farm." She told him. "It was kind of a necessity."

This was only partially true. She had grown up around guns and hunting, but her family never really had much of a taste for it. While they occasionally had to hunt out of necessity to control the population of predators and protect their livestock, they never hunted for sport. The Samurai Code preached respect for life, and so they only believed in killing what they needed to for food. She did know her way around a shotgun.

"We're having a little get-together at my father's estate. It'll last the entire weekend." He explained to her. She couldn't believe her luck. It seemed that Hayley was right about his weakness for Americans. "If you'd like to come..."

"The estate?" She asked him.

"Kensington Manor. Its a few miles outside of town." He told her. "It's a nice location..."

"I'm familiar with it." She assured him. "I have to admit, it's been a while since I last used a shotgun."

"Then it's settled." He replied. "I'll collect you here tomorrow at nine?"

"I can't wait." She answered, finishing her drink. As she got up, she gave him a little smile and dragged a hand across his shoulders for good measure. As she left the pub, she could still feel his eyes on her.

"Wow, I'm impressed." Hayley complimented her. "I never thought it would be that easy."

"Yeah, now if you don't mind, I seriously need a shower." Serena told her. "That guy really gives me the creeps."


	2. A Tour of the Estate

Serena stood outside the Bed and Breakfast the next morning, dressed in a large, thick sweater, and a pair of denims with trainers, and a leather jacket pulled around her tightly. The British climate was a lot colder than she was used to back home, and she figured that going to a shooting estate, this would be a lot more appropriate than the cocktail dress that Hayley had given her to bait the 'honey trap' that secured her an invitation.

The Bentley pulled up to the kerb before her, and she smiled as the back door opened and Frederick stepped out.

"You seem a little underequipped." He greeted her, approaching her and leaning in to kiss her cheek. Serena managed to keep a forced smile on her face as she pulled away.

"I thought the guns would be up there." She answered. He just chuckled a little.

"You don't need to worry about that, I just meant you don't have a bag with you." He stated, gesturing to her shoulders. "We are going to be up there four days."

"I just thought..."

"We like to have a couple of dinners, some drinks and suchlike between days of shooting." He clarified. "We have plenty of rooms; we'll find one for you."

This changed things a little. While she did suspect that he would want her to stay up at the estate, in the hopes of getting something from her over the weekend, she also knew that it would make her more vulnerable, especially as she slept. She thought about it for a while, trying to imagine a way out, but a thought occurred to her. She was sure that Frederick would want to show off the estate while she was there, and if she was there at night, she was sure that she would get a chance to get a better look once everyone was asleep. She just smiled.

"I guess I'll go pack." She told him. "I just need to check out. I'm booked in for another couple of days."

"I'll be waiting." He told her, flashing a bright grin. "Don't be too long."

"Nice job Serena." Hayley teased her. "Keep going like that, he may just give you the sword."

"Shut up Hayley." Serena grumbled as she went to her room to pack.

Over in the Shiba House, it was beginning to get late, and the Rangers were starting to succumb to jet-lag and the exhaustion of the last few days. Emily was leaning onto Mike, occasionally drifting off as they all watched a movie. They didn't want to go to bed too early just to try and get back to a proper sleeping pattern. Mike saw the state of his girlfriend and just gave her a little shake to wake her.

"I think that's late enough." He commented. "Guys, I'm just taking her to her room."

"Good night guys." Emily yawned as Mike helped her up. "I'll see you tomorrow...hopefully."

"Sure thing Emily." Mia chuckled. "Goodnight."

As she left, Kevin leaned in to Mia, sniggering a little.

"Maybe she should lay off the herbal remedies." He suggested. "She's been up and down since we left the temple."

"It got her home without another psychotic freak out on the plane didn't it?" Mia said with a shrug. "I'm sure it'll be out her system soon."

"Well, I know I'm just about done for the night." Kevin told them. "Sorry Mia, but there's only so much Drew Barrymore I can watch. I'll catch you tomorrow."

"Have a good night." She replied, kissing him softly as he left. Jayden smiled to see the closeness between them. They'd had a few bumps in their relationship, including the incident a few weeks back involving Antonio's arrival, but it was good to see that they were starting to work back towards what they had. "I think I might just go too. This is probably the best chance I'll get of having a long sleep with Emily as a room-mate."

"Good night!" Antonio called out after her as she left. He then turned to where Jayden was sitting on the couch. "I guess that just leaves us."

"I suppose so." He answered with a shrug.

"Tired yet?" Antonio asked. He just shrugged again.

"I just don't feel like going just yet." He answered honestly. "Do you mind if we put on something with a little more action? I kind of agree with Kevin on the romantic comedies."

"Please do." Antonio replied. Jayden made his way over, removing the DVD and looked out another. He turned around, showing Antonio the cover to The Dark Knight.

"That looks perfect." Antonio said with a smile. "Trust you to like masked superheroes."

"I guess there is something a little subconscious in it." He replied as he started it up, taking a seat next to Antonio. The Gold Ranger just looked to him as he took a seat.

"So how's work on The Black Box going?" Jayden asked him.

"Slowly." Antonio admitted. "I'm going to try and programme Emily's disk again tomorrow."

"Well just keep trying." Jayden told him, putting an arm around him and smiling. "If anyone can do it, it's you."

Antonio just smiled as he turned his attention back to the screen. He suspected that there was nothing more to it than friendship, but it still felt good. It might be all he could hope for from Jayden, but if that was the case, then he guessed he could live with it.

Back in England, Serena spent the ride over in the Bentley exchanging small-talk with Frederick, taking the occasional look outside at the surroundings. They had long since left the city, and all she could see for miles was fields and a few woods. She was beginning to wonder how far exactly the estate was considering the fact that Frederick had only said 'a few miles'. She was beginning to consider that this might create another potential problem once she had seen the sword. How exactly did she get back?

"You said you'd grown up on a farm." He recalled with a smirk. "I guess you feel pretty much at home here."

"It wasn't exactly like this." She assured him. "There wasn't quite so much green."

"The benefits of the British weather." He assured her. As they became engulfed in a wood, the only man-made thing being the single-track road the Bentley was driving along, the car seemed to be engulfed in darkness. "This is the drive-way, we should be here soon."

"The Drive way?" She asked, looking around. He just laughed.

"My ancestors didn't exactly like people coming around uninvited." He told her, gesturing to the forests. "These were great for privacy."

Serena marvelled as they came to the end, coming into a massive area, at four times the size of her parent's farm, though she couldn't exactly tell since it stretched far beyond what she could see. The road turned to a gravel path that led through gardens, which incorporated a tennis court, a large hedge maze, and several buildings all around, presumably stables, equipment sheds and the like. And right in the centre, was Kensington Manor.

It was three stories high, and built of ancient stone that was darkened with age, and high windows. On the upper floors, many of the windows were made of stained glass. As they got closer, she noticed a lot of men in thick, woollen jackets walking around with shotguns, moving in obvious guarding patterns.

As the car pulled up to the front, parking with several other vehicles, several men were gathered outside, wearing red jackets, white trousers and riding boots. They too were carrying shotguns. One of them, she recognised as Edward Kensington, Frederick's father. He came over, shaking his son's hand.

"Glad you could finally make it." He chastised his son light-heartedly. "So this is the date?"

"She just needed a while to pack." Frederick assured him. "Dad, this is Kat."

"Kat eh?" He asked, taking her hand and kissing it. "The pleasure is all mine."

"You have a beautiful home here Mr. Kensington." She assured him.

"Well I'm sure my son will give you the guided tour later." He told her. "In the meantime, one of my servants can take you to your room to get changed. Perhaps you can join us for the last few minutes of the grouse shoot..."

"Perhaps I can give her the guided tour and we'll just join you for dinner." Frederick interrupted his father. "We do want her to feel at home here right?"

Serena was a little relieved that Frederick had given her a get-out clause. She really had no interest in the shoot. She only believed in taking what was going to be eaten, but by the looks of the size of the hunting party, she doubted that all of it was going into the pot. This way she wouldn't have to come up with an excuse.

"Alright." He replied, looking to Serena with a little smile. He was clearly impressed by the partner his son had brought with him for the weekend. "I'll see you at dinner."

With that, the hunting party left. Frederick took Serena's bag from her and handed it to a servant.

"Take this to her room." He told the man, before turning back to her. Serena was a little nervous about this, hoping they wouldn't look inside. There were only clothes, and the laptop Hayley gave her, so a cursory glance would reveal nothing, but if anyone looked more closely, it was possible they would start to ask questions when they couldn't open the laptop. Now, all she had was the hidden blade inside her sleeve, and the earwig giving her direct link to Hayley.

"Dinner?" She asked him. "How big exactly is this place?"

"Trust me, we can use that time." He replied, putting an arm around her, his hand straying to her backside. Serena tried not to react, hoping to keep up the ruse. "Now, let me show you the entrance hall."

Back at the Shiba House, Jayden woke up somewhere early in the morning, finding Antonio lying next to him on the couch. They must have finally fallen asleep while they were watching the movie. Pulling himself free, taking care not to wake Antonio, he found himself looking at him, just...watching him sleep.

He couldn't explain what he felt when Antonio had come back. He was pleased to have his childhood friend back, the one person in the whole world that had ever just made him feel like a normal person any time they played together in the garden of the Shiba House. He was impressed that he even remembered the promise he had made all those years ago, but the word impressed didn't even cover how he felt about how seriously Antonio had taken that promise, accomplishing in a few years what many had failed to accomplish in a lifetime.

When Antonio became the Gold Ranger, and had come into the team, Jayden worried for him at first, not wanting to put him in danger. He didn't really want to put any of his friends in danger, but for some reason with Antonio it was different. Emily, Mike, Kevin, Mia...they had all been raised for this since birth, and as much as he cared about them, in the end, he knew it was not his choice to let them risk their lives. Antonio, he had to allow onto the team, to risk his life for them. It took him a while, but Antonio had finally won him over, convincing him that he could handle it.

He shifted from the couch, but seeing Antonio still sleeping, he didn't have the heart to wake him, even just for the short journey from here to the bedroom. Instead, he gently took his feet and placed them on the couch, letting him lie along the full length of it, and covered him over with a jacket. As he left the room, he turned back one last time, looking to Antonio. He couldn't imagine what it would be like without him.

Over at the estate, Serena was still on the tour with Frederick, looking around with him. The estate was indeed huge, once again raising in her mind the issue of how exactly she would get away if it did transpire she had to leave in a hurry. The grounds themselves were immense, even without the woods, and then, of course, they were many miles from the city. He pointed to some out-buildings.

"Those are the stables down there." He told her. "We'll probably do some riding over the weekend. And down there we have one of the gun sheds..."

"What's that one?" Serena asked. It was a rather non-descript looking stone shed, with a secure-looking door on it. He just turned her from it.

"That's...nothing important." He told her.

"Come on, you've shown me everything else." She replied, placing a hand on his chest and smiling at him. "What's in there?"

"We don't use it anymore." He told her. He just sighed. "It's kind of embarrassing, but my ancestors weren't always particularly enlightened."

"I don't understand." She answered.

"That's the old slave quarters." He informed her. "That's where they'd lock the slaves in at night."

"Oh." She responded. "Sorry to bring it up."

"Let's look at something a little more interesting." He responded, taking her back towards the house. "This is the rear entrance, and it brings us into our armoury."

"Armoury?" She asked him. Suddenly this was becoming interesting. She was here because the Kensingtons were one of the few known owners of a Masamune. As he brought her inside, she could see he wasn't exaggerating in calling it an armoury. It looked more like a museum than part of a home. The room itself was larger than most houses, and full of glass cases with ancient weapons inside, suits of armour, and paintings of battles dotted around the walls. There were also a few full-length mirrors, something she had noticed in pretty much every room of the house. Obviously these guys had a real hit for themselves.

"My family has a long and rich military history. Indeed, my own father was once a member of the prestigious SAS."

"British special forces." Hayley explained in the earwig. Frederick took her around letting her look at the exhibits.

"Many of these weapons actually belonged to my ancestors, and were used in battle." He told her. "Others, we purchased. My father and I have a great interest in historical weaponry."

"So do I." Serena said, looking around at all the instruments of destruction. She finally found a case, housing a katana. It appeared to be the only Japanese weapon in the room. It was in a glass case, but as she reached out for it, he took her wrist gently.

"I wouldn't recommend that." He told her. He pointed to a sensor, which presumably was a laser. "My dad has pretty heavy security on these exhibits. This one especially, this sword cost us quite a bit."

"What is it?" She asked him. "I mean, I know it's a samurai sword..."

"It's not just any sword, it's a Masamune." He explained. "My dad picked it up in auction a little while ago. It's considered one of the finest swords of its kind ever created."

"That sounds impressive." She commented, taking a look around. She noticed a couple of cameras, and she was confident that there would likely be guards doing rounds after lights out. She had no idea what other form of security they would have on it, not to mention she doubted that the case itself was a simple glass box, and would likely be hard to get into. Frederick interrupted her thoughts by placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face him.

"You know, it's beginning to get late." He told her. "My dad and his friends should be getting back soon. We should get ready for dinner."

"I...um..." She looked into his eyes as he drew closer. "I don't know where my room is. You never took me up there."

He waved over a servant.

"Take my guest to her room and give her some privacy." He told him. "She would like to get washed up before dinner."

"At once sir." The servant replied, taking her away.

Serena was taken as high as the second floor, and the servant gestured to the door.

"You'll find towels on the bed." He told her. "If there's anything else you need, just ask."

Serena went inside, closing the door behind her, and putting on the latch, breathing a sigh of relief at finally getting some privacy.

It was larger than the living room of her parents farm, with a bed that looked like it could sleep an entire family, full of large pillows, and a huge quilt. The room was panelled in dark oak, with an antique dresser against one wall, and a full-length mirror on it. She flopped down onto the bed. At last able to relax, she took off her jumper, before unstrapping the hidden blade from her forearm and tossing it aside. She started to prepare herself for a shower.

"God, I thought I'd never get any breathing space." She complained. "My ass feels like a pin cushion. If he grabs it again, I don't care how important he is, I'm breaking his arm."

"You only have to keep up the act a little longer." Hayley assured her over the earwig. "You already know where the sword is."

"Yeah, but getting to it's another problem." She told her. "Not only does the guy have better security on it than the White House, there are a lot of people with shotguns here, and that makes me kind of nervous."

"You've made it this far." Hayley reminded her. "Just give me a while. I don't have schematics for the mansion, but I might be able to find any purchases relating to the security systems under their names."

"That would be helpful." Serena commented as she went into the bathroom. She jumped as she saw someone there, before realising it was just her reflection in another full-length mirror. This mission had already given her reason to be nervous. "God, what is it with these guys and mirrors?"

"I'll get back to you when I have something." Hayley told her. "Until then, enjoy dinner."

Serena just muttered under her breath as she started the shower, getting it to temperature and stepping inside, cleaning up for dinner, hoping she could make it through the night and figure out a way to get out before anyone suspected she was there as anything other than Frederick's date.


	3. The Kensington Banquet

By the time Serena made her way into the reception area, the hunting party was already enjoying the Kensingtons' hospitality. They were wandering around, chatting with each other, and enjoying drinks and canapés after a day of shooting. Servants bustled back and forth, collecting empty glasses and handing out snacks and drinks while they waited for the announcement for dinner. They were all dressed in eveningwear, all strictly black tie. She was glad she still had the black cocktail dress Hayley had given her so she didn't look out of place.

As she appeared at the top of the stairs, Frederick looked up to her and smiled. Clearly he approved. As Serena made her way down towards her date, she prepared herself for more of the same treatment, but at least in company she could be sure he wouldn't try and take things too far. After all, it was one thing to have an attractive young woman on his arm, it was quite another to openly grope them in civilised company.

"You finally made it." He greeted her, kissing her on the cheek. "I was beginning to think you got lost."

"I kind of did." She told him. "This place is pretty huge."

This was a lie mostly; Serena had a pretty good sense of direction. She just wanted to use the little time she was alone to check out the layout and retrace her steps, trying to find the best route to the armoury. She quickly found that she was rarely alone. While many of the corridors didn't have cameras, she had found a couple of guards wandering around. She had managed to avoid being seen by all but the last one, and when she finally did get seen, he accepted her excuse that she was just lost. He had, unfortunately, been helpful enough to escort her to the stairs to the reception area. She just hoped what she had already learned would be enough.

"Well, we do occasionally have that problem with some of the new guests." He told her. "The regulars though have gotten used to the place."

"Frederick my boy, glad to see you've finally located your date." His father greeted him. He had dressed for the evening in an old military dress uniform, which bore an impressive collection of medals. He turned to Serena. "I was wondering if you'd be joining us."

"I wouldn't have missed something like this." She replied, taking a glass of champagne. "I've certainly never seen hunting done this way."

"Nor have I." A man said as he arrived. Frederick just looked at him, seemingly a little confused. He was a little shorter than Frederick, and more than a little slighter, but still appeared to have a healthy build. He was an Asian man, dressed in a black dinner suit with a red bow tie and cummerbund.

"I'm sorry; I don't believe we have had the pleasure." Frederick stated, extending a hand. "Frederick Kensington."

"Oh, this is Kenzo." Mr. Kensington stated, introducing him. "I'm afraid after almost twenty minutes I still find myself unable to pronounce his surname."

"My father always said surnames are too informal for friends." Kenzo joked as he shook Frederick's hand. "Everyone calls me Kenzo."

"You weren't here earlier." Frederick recalled.

"I only recently arrived." Kenzo explained. "I regret that I only became aware of the hunt in time to attend the first night's dinner. I regret missing the first hunt."

"Normally we don't take late arrivals, but Kenzo here was very insistent." Edward said with a smile that let Serena know what the story was. Money talked, even among those who clearly didn't need it. Obviously this new guy had paid over the odds for a late invitation.

"My business has only recently brought me to this country, and I am keen to meet others." Kenzo explained. "I am keen to learn the ways of my new countrymen."

"Well it's always a pleasure to see someone trying to fit in." Mr. Kensington replied cheerfully. Serena just nodded. That's why this guy was here, he was networking. The guys that came to this thing were heavy hitters in the business world. Kenzo finally caught sight of her, and she noticed a very subtle change in him. He looked to her with a searching gaze, seemingly sizing her up. She felt a little uneasy in his presence as he stepped closer, taking her hand. "And you are?"

"Kat." She said, keeping up the pretence. "Kat Hillard."

"Of course you are." He said with a little smirk. For a moment, Serena got the impression he didn't buy the fake name. Did he somehow know who she was? Would he blow her cover? He just gently kissed her hand, his eyes never leaving hers as he did so. Serena was a little relieved. It seemed he hadn't done anything that might lead the Kensingtons to believe her story wasn't trued. She just resolved to keep her distance for the rest of the evening as much as she could. While Frederick gave her the creeps, there was something else entirely about this Kenzo guy. "Perhaps we shall talk more after dinner."

"Perhaps." She replied as he seemed to slip away into the crowd, disappearing among the guests. Just then, another couple of members of the hunt party came over. One of them seemed to be almost giddy with excitement.

"Edward, is there any chance of seeing the main event?" The excited one asked him. "I've heard you have something really special this year."

"All in good time my good man." Edward replied. "Dinner will be announced..."

"We heard that it'll be good sport." The other interrupted him. "Is it true?"

Edward just sighed and took out a cigar.

"I suppose it'll give me the opportunity for a cigar before dinner." He replied. "Come on then. Frederick, if the dinner call comes, just start without us. We shouldn't be long."

Just as they left, a bell rang. The guests all looked to Frederick.

"Saved by the bell eh?" He asked. "I don't know about any of you, but I am ravenous. Dinner is served!"

With that, he put an arm around Serena, stroking her skin. She really wished her dress had more material, and didn't leave her shoulders and arms exposed. Not only did it mean she couldn't wear her hidden blade, meaning she had to leave it in her room leaving her completely unarmed, it also meant his wandering hands now had flesh instead of clothing to occupy them. As she had up until now, she managed to keep herself from showing how uncomfortable she was, and even managed to put her arm around him in turn. As they made their way to the hall though, she couldn't help noticing out the window that Edward and the other huntsmen were heading in the direction of the old slave quarters. She was sure Frederick had said there was nothing there. What were they going to see?

Back at the Shiba House, it was early in the morning, and Antonio awakened on the couch alone, with a slight pain in his neck. As he pulled himself up, he rubbed his neck, looking around and figuring he had to have fallen asleep there. Jayden was nowhere in sight, but then he heard a couple of cries and sounds of wood on wood from the yard and figured that the others must already be outside training.

He groaned as he went to his room to get changed into his training uniform, unconcerned about the fact that he would likely receive some comments for being late to practice. All that bothered him right now was last night.

He knew what he felt for Jayden, and he had to admit being so close to him felt good. It had obviously overtaken him at some point and he had fallen asleep, since he couldn't remember seeing the end of the movie this time around. He shook his head to clear his mind as he finished getting into his uniform. It was too much to hope for.

As he arrived out in the training yard, the others were already training. Mia was working with Mike, while Kevin was taking Emily through her paces. Jayden was standing with Mentor Ji, keeping an eye on things.

"Are you ready for practice?" Mentor Ji asked the Gold Ranger. Antonio smiled a little.

"What, no lecture?" He asked. "No 'you know when training is' or something like that?"

"I have factored jet lag into the equation. I am taking it easy on all of you today." Mentor Ji told him. "Just...do not expect such consideration tomorrow."

"So, do you want to warm up first?" Jayden asked him. Antonio just nodded.

"I think that would be for the best." He replied, before heading to a quiet corner and starting some star-jumps. Jayden was watching him when he finally heard a yell from the corner, and turned to see Kevin hopping around, his bokken on the floor, clutching his left shin. Emily was rushing around him, fussing, trying to get him to let go of his leg.

"Nicely done Emily." Jayden complimented her.

"Yeah, try saying that if it's you that got your shin cracked!" Kevin snapped.

"It's a legitimate tactic, and a good technique." Jayden reminded him. "If a man can't stand, he can't fight."

Kevin and Emily made their way off the mat for Kevin to rest. He was confident that he would be ready to resume the bout soon; he doubted it was serious, and such things happened regularly at the house. It was just a natural part of training.

"Mike's sword work is really improving." Mentor Ji commented, bringing Jayden's attention to the bout between him and Mia. "I would have expected the score to be a lot more one-sided."

"Sorry, I got distracted." Jayden admitted. "What's the score?"

"10-18 in Mia's favour." Mentor Ji replied. "A month ago it would have been a much larger gap."

"Mike's learning alright." Jayden stated, his eyes straying back to Antonio, who by now was doing some burpies as part of his warm-up. "I know we were meant to mix it up today, but by the time he's ready..."

Mentor Ji just waved him off. The others were only about halfway through their bouts, and so introducing Antonio at this point would only serve to disrupt them at this point. Jayden approached the area where Antonio was now just stretching off.

"So are you ready?" Jayden asked.

"Always." Antonio replied with a little smile as he picked up his wooden tanto, following him to the mat. "Lead the way Amigo."

Back at the Kensington Estate, dinner was a trying experience for Serena, but the party seemed to definitely be enjoying themselves, and it was easy to see why. The spread was incredible. Drinks flowed freely, and they all exchanged stories and laughter over the meal. Frederick continued to touch her and hold her at moments, sometimes quite openly, like making sure that his guests saw him with an arm around his 'bit of fluff' as she had overheard one of them say to a colleague, and the occasional slight squeeze of a knee under the table.

The bouillabaisse starter had already been cleared by the time Edward and the other two arrived. She took note that they seemed rather happy with what they had seen, that would mean they would go back to the party and it would make things easier for her. Between the security system and the guards, not to mention trying to shake her "date", things were going to be hard enough without the guests paying too much attention to her. There were plenty of women there, likely to act as company for the men, which also eased her cause. For now, the less people taking notice of her, the better.

The second course arrived, roast pheasant on a bed of salad with a berry jus, likely the spoils of the shoot earlier in the day. She was thankful that at least some of the game shot that day had not died needlessly.

"It's very different from chicken." Frederick assured her. "It has a strong, unique flavour."

Serena took a bite, feeling what he meant. It was a slightly courser meat than chicken, and had a stronger taste which was complimented perfectly by the accompaniments. It was seasoned to perfection, and she had to admit, if she had time, she would consider finding out the recipe. Unfortunately, she was on a timetable, and she had no desire to remain here longer than she needed to be. She hoped to be long gone by the time everyone woke up the next morning.

"It's lovely." She replied, taking a sip of champagne. She kept herself restrained on the drink, knowing that eventually the men would no longer notice who was or wasn't there. It would give her time to go back to the armoury.

"Well, there's more to come." He assured her, grabbing her knee again under the table and stroking her thigh. "You should try the bread and butter pudding."

Forcing a smile, she continued to eat, keeping an eye on the others to ascertain when she could make her move.

Back at the Shiba House, practice was going on well, and everyone was appreciative for the slower pace to get them used to being back.

The other two bouts had ended, and the others were taking a breather while they watched Jayden and Antonio taking each other to the limit.

Their wooden blades blurred through the air, colliding many times as they parried and responded.

It was a show that none of them could help but appreciate. Although his style was self-taught, there was no doubt that Antonio was a master. Watching the two of them was something special, they each brought out something in the other that pushed them to great heights. It was like watching Rembrandt or Da Vinci painting first-hand. It was like watching Pavarotti and Careras performing together. It was something that they knew that few in the world would ever be able to see, even fewer to match, and perhaps, none would ever surpass.

Jayden fell to one knee in a blur of activity so fast it was almost impossible to see. Antonio brought his tanto to the back of his head, tapping it lightly.

"29 all." Antonio said with a grin. "Want to call this match point?"

"Whatever you say." Jayden answered as they set up again. Both of them circled each other, looking for an opportunity, gripping their weapons tightly. Antonio shuffled forward a little, before backing off as he saw Jayden flinch. They exchanged a little smile as they realised they had each others' number.

Finally, they launched themselves at each other, but Jayden had the upper hand. Seizing Antonio, he threw him over his hip, landing on top of him. He pinned Antonio's weapon arm to the floor with his knee as he mounted him, before bringing the bokken to his throat. They looked at each other, their faces only inches apart. Antonio smiled.

"Looks like you have me where you want me." He commented.

Both of them were breathing heavily, and they were both exhausted. Jayden looked to Antonio, and started to get up slowly, allowing Antonio to get up, his gaze straying to the others. The other Rangers were impressed by the display, as was Mentor Ji. He turned from them all.

"Alright, let's mix it up." He told them. "Change partners. Mike, you're with me."

Mike got up, taking up his bokken reluctantly. He had been closer than ever before, but he still lost to Mia. Taking on Jayden was a completely different matter. Antonio watched him go to the farthest mat.

"Antonio, we haven't had much chance to spar yet." Emily said cheerfully as she grabbed his arm. "Come on."

"Uh...yeah, sure." Antonio replied, following her to another mat. "That sounds good."

Meanwhile, back at the Kensington Estate, Serena had excused herself following the meal. She had hoped to be alone, but Frederick insisted on escorting him to the room. As they arrived by the door, she faced him.

"Are you sure you don't want a nightcap?" He asked her. She gathered he wasn't really asking her to rejoin the party for a drink. She just slowly shook her head.

"I'm afraid I overdid it at dinner." She told him. "I'm so stuffed, I could sleep all night."

"Well, if there's anything you need, feel free to ask." He told her, drawing closer. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Serena knew that he was unlikely to leave if he thought she was just playing him, and steeling herself, she closed her eyes and drew in, kissing him full on the lips. He seemed to take it at face value, one hand in her hair, and the other straying around her body, but all the while, Serena just tried to keep her mind on the fact that she needed to go to work soon. As they parted, she just smiled again.

"See you tomorrow Frederick." She purred as she closed the door. She waited to listen for his footsteps leaving, before breathing a sigh of relief.

"Thank God, I thought I had a Siamese twin!" She complained.

"You didn't seem to be too..."

"Shut up Hayley." Serena complained as she kicked off her shoes and started to undo the dress. "Have you got the details?"

"They're all on the laptop." Hayley replied. Serena looked out another outfit, a simple pair of tight black jogging pants and a black top. She booted up the laptop and stated to look at the display as she got dressed.

"That's some pretty serious security." Serena responded. "It doesn't help that all we know is that's what's here, not where it is."

"You can presume most of it is where any valuables are." Hayley told her. "Studies, the armoury..."

"Seriously, you haven't seen this place, that doesn't narrow it down." Serena commented. "Half the portraits in the lobby would buy my parents' farm."

"Well, you'll figure something out." Hayley assured her. "You usually do."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Serena replied. "Just continue to be the angel on my shoulder."

As she left, closing the door behind her, the full-length mirror in her room moved, and someone made his way inside.


	4. The Ugly Side of Kensington Manor

Serena made her way through the dark corridors of the Kensington mansion, well aware of the fact that the guests would likely still be downstairs having a nightcap. She knew that there were guards on the floors, but that wouldn't be too much of a problem, as long as she kept quiet, and maintained the element of surprise.

She stopped at a corner as she heard someone approaching. One of the guards was casually whistling to himself as he did his rounds, completely bored. Serena took advantage of the fact he wasn't completely alert and hugged the wall as he passed, not even looking her way. She moved round behind him and made her way quickly down the corridor in the direction of the back stairs.

"Are you there yet?" Hayley asked her.

"Give me a chance; I'm trying to avoid the friendly guys with shotguns right now." Serena whispered in response. She stopped as she waited for the guard on the next floor. "I'm on the first floor. There's a balcony that overhangs the armoury. I should..."

Just then, she heard something, a loud thump on the same level. She looked to the direction of the noise and saw a pair of feet round the corner.

"Serena?"

She didn't answer. Instead, Serena just made her way to the end of the hall. She recognised the boots; all the guards were wearing them. As she got there, she found that the guard was laying on the ground unmoving. She knelt down next to him, pressing his fingers to his neck.

"He's dead." Serena breathed.

"Who's dead?" Hayley asked. "Serena?"

"One of the guards, he's dead. I'm no expert, but he isn't breathing." Serena informed her, looking to his shotgun. She opened it, seeing the shells were still inside. "Whoever it was, they either moved quick or they got the drop on him, because he never got off a shot."

"Someone else is in the house?" Hayley asked her.

"Well I didn't do it, so it looks that way." Serena replied.

"You have to get that sword." Hayley reminded her. "Either get it first, or find the guy and get it off him."

"Yeah, I'm sure that'll be easy." Serena sighed as she left the guard and made her way down the hall.

As she came to the balcony overlooking the armoury, she another dead guard lying on the ground. She ran to the railing, looking over and saw a man in there in a suit, looking at the display case thoughtfully. She vaulted the barrier and landed quietly behind him, sneaking up.

"So you made it this far did you?" He asked. Serena looked stunned as he turned around.

"Kenzo?" She asked as she saw him. "But you're..."

"I also excused myself from the party." He told her. "Walk away, and perhaps you'll live."

"You really don't want to do this." Serena warned him, slipping into a guard.

"You know, I really think I do." He replied, changing into his Nighlock form. Serena just started to back away, extending her hidden blade.

"Oh shit."

Back at the Shiba House, later in the day, Jayden was sitting in the living room with the others as they all went about their business. Antonio had already left to earn some money with his own business while he recovered his energy enough to continue his work on programming the Black Box, but the others were all there. Kevin was in the corner reading with Mia. The two of them had a habit of reading cookery books together, all part of Mia's attempts to educate herself into being the amazing cook she thought she had been.

He was pleased to see them so happy together, their arms around each other as they read the book, pointing out recipes they might like to try and figuring out the instructions. He could remember that at one time, it didn't seem like they would be happy that way. Mia was into him; a somewhat embarrassing and uncomfortable situation that he had initially hoped would rectify itself, but ended with him having to have 'the talk' with her.

He had been thinking a lot about the situation since the previous night, indeed, he had been thinking a lot about the living arrangements since the previous night. As he looked over to where Emily was on the computer, working on another of her on-line modules for her High School diploma, he was thinking about the fact that two strong, amazing, intelligent and beautiful women had been living in his house for months, and he had never once thought about them in that way.

Although he was completely head over heels for Emily, and had even literally marched straight to hell and back for her, Mike was pretty open about the fact he found other women attractive. He had lived a pretty sheltered life all things considered. He was home-schooled, and he only really left the house with Mentor Ji to go grocery shopping when he was a kid, so he didn't really have the same experiences as others to fall back on, so he couldn't help wondering about the fact he didn't feel anything for the girls, but that he now felt himself uncomfortable around his best friend. So much so, that he had to stop sparring with him just because he was beginning to feel himself tightening up. Did that mean there was something wrong with him?

Eventually, he got up and made his way from the room, trying not to disturb the others as he went, resolving to go for a run. He stopped in the hall as he almost ran into Antonio.

"Whoa there, where's the fire?" Antonio asked him with the smile that always made Jayden smile back. It was almost as if the two were connected, it was automatic.

"I might ask the same." Jayden replied. "I thought..."

"The lunch rush was awesome, I sold out!" Antonio interrupted him. "I'll have to go catch more stock tonight."

"I'm glad business is good." Jayden replied. "I was just going for a run."

"Oh, do you want some company?" Antonio asked him.

"No." Jayden rushed out, before realising that he had snapped. He just smiled at Antonio. "I just need some fresh air and some space to think."

"I guess I can go with that." Antonio said with a shrug. "I guess I'll just go clean up, then go for round two with the Black Box. Have fun Amigo!"

With that, Jayden left on his run, hoping that perhaps some time alone would help.

Back in the Kensington manor, Serena and the Nighlock Kenzo were locked in a deadly battle. She really wished she had something more substantial than the wrist-mounted blade to fend him off considering that now she was facing a full-blown Nighlock.

"So satisfy my curiosity. Just what exactly are you supposed to be?" Serena asked him.

"My form incorporates the properties of the black mamba." He informed her. "One of nature's quickest and deadliest killers."

Serena looked to the hooked fangs protruding from his mouth. Kenzo was obviously a skilled warrior in his own right; he had fought with her and held his own up until now, but since she now knew of his form, she had to be mindful of his fangs. The black mamba had one of the deadliest neurotoxins known to man. He lunged for her with a kick, which she narrowly avoided, and smashed through the case around the sword, setting off the alarm.

"Oh great, now you've done it." Serena stated as Kenzo quit the battle and disappeared into a gap. She looked up to the balcony as some guards appeared. Finding the body of their comrade, they looked down, seeing Serena standing by the broken case. It didn't take Serena long to figure out that it didn't look good from up there.

Realising that stealth was no longer an option, she chose plan B, grabbing the sword and running! She snatched it up as they both fired, narrowly missing her. She wasn't a gun expert, but she knew that at that range, because of the spray, it was unlikely the shotguns would hit her, or even that the hit would be lethal if they did, but she wasn't going to hang around to test the theory. She broke the lock to the back door and sprinted out into the grounds.

A couple of guards rounded one of the out-buildings, attracted by the sound of the alarm, but she was too quick for them. The first, she took down by smashing the scabbard of the katana into his face as she used her blade to stab the other in the backside, hamstringing him. Both of them would live, but neither of them would pursue her.

A few more were coming into view, and she knew that she wouldn't be so fortunate with them. With her skill, she could take them out if they got into reach, but with their shotguns, they didn't have to get into her reach.

She looked for a place to run to, and ran in the direction of one of the out-buildings, rushing inside. She could wait by the door and surprise the guards if they came in.

"Damn it." She muttered as she realised her mistake. She hadn't gone into the stables as she intended. She had hoped stealing a horse would speed up her escape. She had, in fact, gone into the slave quarters. There was only one way in or out, she was trapped. "If you have a stroke of brilliance now would be a good time Hayley."

"Is someone there?" She heard someone call from a little way down. She left the door, coming to the door to a cell, looking inside. She saw a kid in a school uniform inside. He got up and tried to make his way to the door, but was stopped as a chain around his ankle got to the end of its length. Serena looked at him a little curiously. He looked familiar somehow.

"You're the kid that went missing aren't you?" She asked him.

"Michael Windsor." He told her. "Some guys snatched me from school and brought me here. Please, you've got to help me!"

"I'm getting you out of here." She told him, turning her attention to the lock. It was then that she heard a mechanical click behind her that made her freeze to the spot.

"I'd be more worried about myself if I were you love." She heard a man drawl. She held up her hands and turned slowly. He was too far away to attack, but he was close. "If I pull this trigger at this range, that pretty little face'll be redecorating that wall."

Frederick came into view, followed by another guard and his father.

"I guess you weren't so tired after all." He commented. "Put down the sword."

Serena did as she was told, before standing up, keeping her hands in view all the time.

"The toothpick too." He demanded. She unstrapped the hidden blade, and threw it at his feet.

"It's a shame you found Michael here." Frederick told her. "Now you understand we can't possibly let you go."

"If we turn you over to the police, you'll just start blabbing about the kid." The guard told her. "I guess that means I have to take care of you."

Serena closed her eyes, waiting for the shot, but it didn't come. Frederick put up a hand.

"I have a better idea." He commented. "You know, the way you move is quite impressive. The way you came off that balcony..."

"Wait, how did you see...?" Her words were cut off as Edward levelled a rifle at her, shooting her with a dart. She looked at it for a moment as her vision blurred. She collapsed to the ground unconscious.

"I know this is disappointing my boy." Edward sighed as one of the guards dragged her into a cell and fastened a shackle around her left ankle.

"What can I say? Those mirrors can be useful." He replied as he came over to Serena's unconscious form, brushing the hair out of her face. "It is a shame though, she is rather fetching."

With that, they left the cell, locking the door behind them.

Back in the states, Jayden stopped by the harbour on his run. He needed space to think, and he needed to sort out what he had been feeling as of late.

He knew that there was something different about the way he felt about Antonio now. He was delighted to have his best friend back, and when he came into the house, he just fit into the routine so seamlessly, it was already like he was a part of the family.

He couldn't help thinking about the day he came out to the team. Antonio had explained later that he did it because he had already revealed the fact he was gay to Kevin because of the dispute they were having about how much time he was spending with Mia. He accepted the fact that his best friend was gay, it didn't change who he was in Jayden's eyes, but for some reason, it seemed to stick in his mind.

He had an idea why he was looking at Antonio differently, but he wasn't sure what to do about it. In his whole life, he had never felt anything like he had when he found Antonio in his arms on the couch. He couldn't imagine anything like what he felt when Antonio stood between him and Dekker, defending him against the Cursed Warrior. He felt like Antonio would do anything for him, and it made him feel happier than he could ever remember being to think about Antonio.

However, his thoughts strayed, as they always did to his duty. He was the head of the Shiba Clan, one of the five Samurai bloodlines. Moreover, it was the only bloodline that could create the seal that would keep Master Xandred in the Netherworld for good. He was well aware of the pressure on him to fight, he had been raised to accept it his whole life, but he also had another responsibility. His bloodline was the only one that could create the seal. If it did not happen in his generation, if he failed to create the seal within his lifetime, then he would have to pass that responsibility onto the next generation. His children.

He was used to sacrifice, he had made plenty in his life, but this one was going to be the hardest. As much as he was beginning to realise how strongly he felt for Antonio, he knew he could never act on them. His duty was to the planet. His happiness meant nothing compared to that. The hardest thing about it all was that he knew that while so far he had always been able to share the load, especially since the Rangers had made him accept their part in the war, this was one burden he had to carry alone. More than anything else, he couldn't tell Mentor Ji, the man who had been his whole world since his father had died. More than anyone else, he couldn't bear it if he turned from him now.

Back on the Kensington Estate, Serena finally started to come to, her vision starting to clear up. She grabbed the dart in her leg and threw it aside. Looking around, she could see that she was locked in a cell. Feeling something around her ankle, she pulled it to her, finding a steel shackle there, connected to a chain which tethered her to the wall. She just groaned as she realised her predicament.

"This is just great." She moaned.

"You're awake?" She heard Michael say. She got up and went to the barred door, as close as the chain would allow, finding him staring back at him.

"My head's still buzzing a bit, but I'm fine." She told him.

"It'll pass in a couple of hours." He assured her in a sigh.

"So what's your story?" Serena asked him. "The paper said you disappeared from Eton."

"They snatched me from the grounds." He told her.

"I guess it's a ransom thing." She commented. "If you go there, your family's loaded right?"

"My dad owns some companies." Michael told her. "But it isn't ransom. They took me a week ago."

"If they wanted money, surely they'd have it by now." Serena replied. "So what else?"

"They want me because of who I am." He told her. "They told me when I got here that they want me because I hold the current cross-country running record at school."

"I don't understand." Serena replied.

"The invitations are ten grand for a reason." He told her. "I'm the main attraction."

"You mean, the special prey for the final hunt is..." He nodded his head.

"But this year the guests are really getting their money's worth." Frederick announced as he came in, making his way towards Serena's cell. "This year, there's an extra hunt. Shame really, I would have preferred..."

"I can guess what you would have preferred." Serena snorted as she looked at him in disgust. He just chuckled and approached the door, reaching through and stroking her cheek tenderly.

"I have to say, the way you moved when you were trying to rob us was quite impressive." He complimented her. "You'll make good sport I'm sure."

He withdrew his hand and turned to leave, lighting up a cigar as he went.

"I guess there's only one question." He stated, pointing from one to the other. "Who goes first?"


	5. The Hunt Begins

Over at the Shiba House, it was beginning to get late. The Rangers couldn't help but notice Jayden's absence from Dinner. Indeed, he had been largely conspicuous by his absence most of the last day. He never even put in an appearance at training, something that really troubled the others. It wasn't like Jayden to skip training. It didn't matter if he was sick or hurt, indeed, generally he had to be specifically ordered to forego training if he was sick or injured. Today, however, he had left before the others had gotten up; leaving only a note saying that he would be back later.

It was worrying that he had taken this course of action. Master Xandred had been silent for over a week now, and no one had seen hide nor hair of Arachtheor. Even Dekker had been remarkably quiet. They hadn't actually heard anything from him since Antonio interrupted his duel with Jayden in Japan. While it was nice to have a break to train, focus on their other responsibilities and recover from some of the nagging aches and pains that were a natural part of their lives and rarely got a chance to get over completely between battles, the fact was they knew that it was unlikely that he was wasting this time either. The odds were he was preparing for something big when he did make his comeback, and they were all on alert.

Jayden had now been gone for a couple of hours, and training was over. They weren't especially worried that missing a day of training would do any harm for the Red Ranger. He was so dedicated he would likely train by himself somewhere anyway. It was more the fact that he was isolating himself from the team that bothered them.

They were using the time to their benefit in the absence of a better plan. Mike was out the back working with Kevin on his sword technique, while Emily was in the corner on the computer, working through her on-line modules.

Right now, Antonio was working on the Black Box, trying to get Emily's Power Disk uploaded into the ancient weapon. Mia was standing by, watching and waiting as he worked with his morpher, transferring data from the Power Disk. They all knew now how much the process took out of him, and as such Mentor Ji insisted that someone remain with him whenever he worked on the Black Box just in case he needed medical assistance.

"Just a little more." He stated, the sweat beginning to form on his brow as he tried yet again to work with the Ape Zord. Mia saw the spirit leap to his morpher and hover there for a moment, before turning to the Black Box. Antonio and Mia both smiled as he struggled to maintain the link.

"You're almost there." Mia said encouragingly. "You can do it."

"Excellente!" Antonio cried out as it leapt into the Black Box. He started to rock a little on his chair, before Mia grabbed him to check up on him. "That Ape Zord really put up a fight."

"Given who it belongs to are you surprised?" Mia asked him, handing him a bottle of water. Antonio took a long drink as he composed himself.

"I guess not." He replied. "Two down, three to go."

"Remember what Mentor Ji said; don't try to upload more than one a day." Mia told him. "It takes enough out you as it is, and we may need you in battle."

"Just then, Emily came rushing through the house, carrying something from the printer. She seemed to be far more excited and energetic than normal. She tripped and stumbled, almost taking a face-plant straight into the table they were using, being caught by Antonio and Mia.

"Emily, calm down." Mia told her. "What's the hurry?"

"Where's Mike?" Emily asked her.

"He's out in the training yard." Antonio told her. Emily pulled herself out of their hands and ran as quickly as she could through the rest of the house. "Emily, wait up! Dónde está el fuego?"

Mia and Antonio chased Emily as she made her way out into the training yard, where Mentor Ji was overseeing Kevin and Mike locked in a training bout.

"Mike!" She called out, rushing towards him. The distraction almost cost them dearly. Kevin was only just able to pull his strike as she ran onto the mat, throwing herself on Mike and tackling him to the ground in an impassioned hug, kissing him enthusiastically.

"Emily, I could have brained you!" Kevin yelled.

"What's going on?" Mentor Ji asked, coming over and breaking up the scene of excitement. Emily by now had tears in her eyes. She knew better than to run into the middle of a sword battle in progress, so they had some idea it was something important.

"I just sent off my last module!" She rushed out. "It's been accepted, they're just compiling my final grade!"

"Emily?" He asked her. She just nodded.

"Once they do I can print off my diploma!" She told them. "I'm graduating!"

"Emily that's great news!" Mike told her, hugging her tightly. The others all descended on her, joining in the scene. One of the things they had regretted was the fact they had to pull Emily out of school early, and they had arranged for her to complete her high school education online. Now, after all that time and effort, it seemed like it was all finally paying off.

"Hermosa i intelligente." Antonio complimented her. "I am so breaking out the barbecue tomorrow."

"This is indeed a cause for celebration." Mentor Ji agreed. Emily just pulled out her cell phone and dialled. Antonio had rigged her cell and Serena's with a secure line that they could use to contact each other without fear of being traced by Master Xandred. She just furrowed her brows as she got a spoken message.

"Her cell's turned off." She commented.

"I'm sure she's just busy." Mike assured her. "You'll get hold of her later."

"I know, I just wanted her to know." Emily sighed, before the smile came back to her face. "I can't believe I finally did it!"

"We never doubted you for a moment." Kevin replied. "Mike, if you want to call a rain check..."

"Thanks Kevin." He answered as he and Emily finally got up. "So tell us, what do you want to do tomorrow?"

"Yeah, it's your celebration." Mia added. "Anything you want. Just name it."

Meanwhile, over at Kensington Estate, Serena and Michael were still sitting in their cells in the old slave quarters as the morning approached. It wasn't exactly the best of conditions for encouraging a healthy sleep. The floor was hard, except for a little straw, and the bucket in the corner that served as sanitation did nothing to make the environment any more comfortable.

"The sun's up." He told her, pointing to the main door, where light was beginning to shine through the cracks around it. "It's Sunday."

"The last day of the hunt." She commented. By now, she was sure that Kenzo would be long gone with the sword. She had been trapped here almost a full day, unable to do anything to stop him. With that head start, he could easily have taken it and left. The only reason she suspected he hadn't just killed everyone and left them there to starve was because a guard had since come by with some food for them. Not because they actually cared or anything, but because the Kensingtons wanted them to be healthy enough to run and provide a good chase.

"There're two of us." Michael reminded her. "If we run in opposite directions..."

"You heard him; he asked which one of us is going first." Serena sighed. "They'll release us one at a time. There's no way they'll risk one of us getting away and bringing the cops."

"So...who do you think they'll pick?" He asked her.

"I don't know." She told him. "If Frederick has his way, I suspect it'll be me."

"Who are you anyway?" He asked her. "Obviously my father didn't hire you to find me. You obviously aren't a cop..."

"I was trying to steal a sword." She told him. Saying it like that, it all sounded so pointless. She knew the potential importance of the sword, but given the fact she was now waiting to be hunted like an animal, she was beginning to question the wisdom of coming. Just then, the door opened and a familiar face came in. It was Kenzo. He was wearing tight white trousers, black riding boots, and a deep red coat. He smiled as he came to Serena's cell.

"You're still here?" She asked him. He just nodded.

"Please, do you think I could resist the chance to see this?" He asked her. "The sword can wait. How often will I get a chance like this?"

"What's your story?" She asked him. She cast a glance over at Michael, reminding herself she was limited in what she could say. "Are you like Dekker?"

"In a way." He told her. "Let's just say that the future my father had planned for me didn't really hold much appeal. I decided to walk a different path."

"You decided to become a..."

"I decided to surpass anything my father could ever teach me!" He interrupted her. Just then, a couple of guards came in. One of them had a badly bruised face, and the other was limping badly. They were two of the guards Serena had taken down during her attempt to escape. They looked to Kenzo curiously.

"What are you doing here mate?" One of them asked. "The breakfast buffet..."

"I just wanted a last look at the quarry." Kenzo assured him with a smile. They were here far too early for the release, so he presumed they were here to have a little fun with Serena first. "She's the one that..."

"She killed two of my friends." One of them told him. "She smashed my face in..."

"She stabbed me in the arse!" The other complained. Kenzo just smiled and looked to her.

"Neither of you have the key to her chains do you?" He asked. "I'd hate for there to be any mistakes."

"Trust me, she's going nowhere." The one with the bruised face told him. Kenzo just smirked.

"Just...don't damage her so much she can't run." He told them, patting one of them on the shoulder as he left. As they opened the door to her cell, stepping inside, one of them pulled out a length of rope as the other slammed a fist into her face, sending her to the ground. They pulled her hands behind her back roughly, tying them together tightly.

"This is for Frank." One of them shouted as he kicked her hard in the ribs. "This is for Peter!"

Serena could do nothing as the two men exacted a measure of vengeance on her for their injuries, and their mistaken belief that she had killed two of their friends. The only solace was that they would not kill her; she still had to take part in the hunt. There was one other thing on her mind as she tried to ignore the worst of the beating. Kenzo was still there, and the hunt was still going ahead. That meant that no one suspected anything was amiss. The sword still had to be in the manor. That meant she still had a chance...presuming she lived long enough.

Back at the Shiba House, Emily was sitting by the computer waiting on the e-mail from her course to confirm her completion. Mike came over, sitting next to her, putting his arm around her warmly.

She looked to him and gave him a little smile, but he noticed something odd about her. While she had been incredibly excited, almost delirious before, now, she seemed to be more than a little quiet.

"Still haven't managed to get Serena?" He asked her. He could understand that she wanted her family to know about her success, and so far for some reason Serena wasn't answering her phone. She shook her head.

"I guess it'll make a better story once I get my marks through." She sighed. Mike could feel the disappointment in her.

"There's more to this isn't there?" He asked. She just turned to face him.

"It's just...I feel like I've missed out on a lot of stuff." She told him honestly. "I mean, I know I didn't have a great time back at school, but there're so many things that the other kids got to experience that I didn't."

"Like?" He asked her.

"Prom." She began. "Graduation."

She clicked on the E-mail as it finally came in, before going to the print command.

"Everyone else got to dress up, go to fancy dances, have photos taken." She told him. Just then, the printer kicked into life. She pulled the paper out and stared at it. "They all had a beautiful day where they got all dressed up and had their friends and family around them, you know the whole fuss. My graduation is printing out a diploma."

She handed him the paper and he looked at it.

"Emily, I didn't go to graduation either." He told her. "It isn't a big deal."

"It just feels like it to me." She admitted. He just smiled at her and showed her the diploma.

"Em, this is what's important. These marks are amazing." She told him. "You're in the ninety fifth percentile. With these marks, you can do anything you want!"

"I know, and I'm happy, really I am." She assured him. "I'm sure I'll get over it. I just...I guess I wish I could have something normal."

With that, she took her diploma and gathered up her jacket.

"Mia promised to take me somewhere I can get a frame for this." She told him.

"Well don't take too long." Mike answered. "Antonio's set up a major haul for the barbecue. You have a big day tomorrow."

"I won't be." She said with a smile as she left.

Back in England, Frederick and Edward had assembled the hunting party for the first of the two main hunts. They were all dressed and ready for the hunt, and mounted on horses preparing for the order to ride. Edward held up a hand to call for silence.

"For those of you who are returning from previous years, you all know what to expect." Edward announced. "If you are joining us for the first time, you are in for a treat. The kind of hunt you will not find anywhere else."

"This year though, you're all getting your money's worth." Frederick stated. "This year, you have two main events. Bring the first quarry!"

The two guards dragged Serena into view. Her hands were still bound behind her back, and she had numerous cuts and bruises from their beating. Frederick looked to his father, then back to the guards a little judgementally.

"What happened?" He asked them.

"She struggled." The one with the limp lied. Edward just sighed. "She can still run, she's not too bad."

"She struggled?" Frederick asked them. The one with the bruised face realised he didn't believe them.

"She killed two of the boys!" He protested.

"She stabbed me in the arse!" The other complained. Frederick just sighed and shook his head.

"There was a time we would have used dogs to track the quarry." Frederick announced, pulling something out of his jacket. "Now, we find this to be better."

It was a leather collar, much like a dog's collar, only it had a padlock at the buckle, and a device attached to it which had a green blinking light on it. The guards held Serena tightly as he buckled the collar around his neck and fastened the padlock. "The collar incorporates a GPS tracking system which can be read by your handsets. Now, we don't want the hunt to be too easy, where would be the fun in that?"

There was a small laugh from the hunting party at this statement.

"It is accurate to within fifty feet." He announced. "Now, as you heard, she has already killed two people, and she did injure two more, so she will be a real challenge. I urge you all to be careful. This one will be a fine challenge."

He grabbed her by the hair and turned her away from the house, forcing her to look down a field.

"That post is a hundred and fifty yards away." He told her. "Do you see it?"

She just nodded in response. There was no point in trying to explain she didn't kill the guards.

"Once you reach the post, the hunt will begin." He told her, pulling out a knife. He cut her hands free. "I suggest you run."

Serena didn't need to be told twice, and took to heel, running as fast as her legs would carry her.


	6. Hard Target

Mike was sitting with Mentor Ji, who was pacing the room, speaking on his cell phone. Mike had his hands clasped as he watched hit mentor hopefully.

"I understand that it is late, but this is very important." Mentor Ji said to the person at the other end. It was starting to get a little late, and he knew what he was asking for was a big favour to ask at short notice. He just hoped that his friendship with the person on the other end would be enough. He was a little unsure about Mike's idea for the celebration of Emily's graduation, but he could see how important it was to Mike, and knew that the Green Ranger was not to be swayed when he believed in something. "I understand. Thank you very much."

As he hung up, Mike tried to gauge his reaction. Mentor Ji just smiled.

"Some friends of mine will be around first thing in the morning." He told Mike with a smile. "I had to call in some favours, but we should be able to do as you asked."

"YES!" Mike called out excitedly as he leapt off the couch. He rushed over and threw his arms around Mentor Ji, hugging him excitedly, before realising what he had done and backed off a little with an awkward cough.

"Yeah, um...I meant...thanks." He stammered out.

"Aw, isn't that cute?" Emily teased him, announcing the fact she and Mia had returned. Seeing the frame tucked under her arm, it seemed like they had just managed to get to the store in time before it closed. "Look Mia, they're finally getting along!"

"Very amusing Emily." Mentor Ji said a little coldly as he walked away into his study. "If you'll excuse me, I need to put in a very important call to Reefside before bed time. Don't stay up too late, you all have a big day tomorrow."

"We won't." Mia assured him, watching him go. She knew that Mentor Ji had been working on some kind of quest ever since she found those notes in his study. Daisuke had told her something of the legend of kasamune, and she had guessed that was what he was trying to track down. She still wasn't sure why he hadn't asked the Rangers for help, or even why he hadn't even told them about it, after all if there was a weapon out there that would help them in the war against the Nichlocks, shouldn't they be helping?

"Mia, can you help me find somewhere to hang this?" Emily asked her. Mia finally cleared her head as she realised that Emily was talking to her.

"Sure." She replied. "I think we need to wait till tomorrow to start hammering picture hooks into the wall, but I guess we can at least figure out where to put it."

As they left, Mike smiled as he watched her go. Antonio and Kevin came into the room, having finished some prep work for the following day's barbecue party. They found Mike grinning like a Cheshire cat, and almost bouncing with excitement.

"You look a little like Emily there." Kevin chuckled. "What happened? Did Mentor Ji agree to buy you a video game or something?"

"I just can't wait for tomorrow." He told them. "Um...can you guys keep a secret until then?"

"No problem dude." Antonio assured him with a smile, realising Mike had to have something big planned. "What's going on?"

"Come with me." He told them. "Trust me, tomorrow we're going to have to scrape Emily off the ceiling if I pull this off."

Over on the Kensington Estate, Serena was running as hard as she could. The guards had been careful not to do anything that would affect her ability to run too much, but a few heavy kicks to her ribs had left her with some injuries that constantly nagged on her as she ran. Every step hurt as she made her way for the cover of the tree line as quickly as she could.

Frederick watched her through his binoculars as he and the hunt party waited for the signal.

"That's it." He told the hunt party as he put away his binoculars. He pulled out a shotgun and elevated it, firing a shot into the air. "We're off!"

Serena froze for a moment as she heard the shot. She had to remind herself that they were armed with shotguns, and that it would be impossible for them to be in range to hit her by now. Turning, she saw the stake and realised that she had reached the start point. As she looked back to the estate, she could see horses starting to ride out. The shot was obviously the signal for the hunt to begin.

Turning back, she began running into the tree line, finally making it into cover. She knew that it wouldn't hide her for long. Not since she was lo-jacked by that damned collar Frederick had put on her.

"Serena." She heard Hayley's voice in her ear. "Serena, are you clear?"

"Well it's nice of you to finally get back to me!" Serena stated sarcastically. She twirled her collar around, inspecting it for some way to try and remove it. The leather was buckled in place, but she cursed as her fingers found a padlock. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Sorry, I was just pulling up some satellite images of the estate. Hacking into NASA isn't exactly easy." Hayley told her. "I also finally managed to find the original plans to Kensington Manor. It took so long because it isn't on database. I had to have someone fax over the hard copy from National Archives and create the schematic myself..."

"Hayley, as fascinating as all this is, we're kind of on a truncated timetable here!" Serena reminded her as she started to move off again. She didn't want to remain one pace for too long. She started to pull at the collar to no avail. The leather was far too strong for her to tear or break. If she wanted it off, she needed to find something to cut it off with. "They're tracking me with some kind of GPS system."

"Really?" Hayley asked her. "Can't you just take off the device?"

"Gee, I wish I'd thought of that!" Serena scoffed. "Unless you have anything useful to say, I should probably keep my breath for running."

"That's not going to help." Hayley told her. "The estate's almost two miles across in each direction, over wooded, rough ground. Unless you can outrun horses..."

"Something useful?" Serena suggested.

"You said you're being tracked through GPS right?" Hayley asked her.

"Yeah." Serena answered. "Frederick said it's got a range of fifty feet. I don't think he has any reason to lie, they want an entertaining hunt."

"I'm trying to trace your signal." Hayley told her. "If I manage to overlay it with the signal from your earwig...Bingo!"

"What?" Serena asked as she looked around. By now, some of the hunters had reached the tree line and were starting to search the woods for her.

"I have a fix on your position." Hayley told her. "I integrated it with the map. I can now guide you through the estate."

"Now we're talking." Serena said, finally feeling like something was beginning to turn in her favour. "So how far..."

"You'll never make it to the edge of the estate." Hayley told her. "It's way too far out."

"Who said anything about the edge of the estate?" Serena asked her. "Michael's still in there."

"Serena, you can't help him. Not with all those guys looking for you." Hayley told her. "You can send the cops when you get away."

"Even if I do escape, they'd have buried him by the time the cops arrive." Serena rushed out. "I have an idea. Guide me back to the mansion."

"The mansion?" Hayley asked her. "Uh...as in the mansion where all those guys with guns are?"

"As in where there're weapons and places to hide." Serena replied. "If he's telling the truth about the GPS, it has a range of fifty feet. Inside the mansion it'll mean next to nothing!"

"Not to mention I doubt the Kensingtons will be happy with their guests shooting up their home and millions of dollars worth of art." Hayley answered, realising her idea. "Not bad."

"Just, try and get me back to the house." Serena told her. "If there are any routes with cover, that would be appreciated."

"Alright, just follow my lead..."

"Hold on Hayley!" Serena whispered as she heard someone coming close. She looked around for a weapon, finding none. She picked up a couple of handfuls of dust, and hid behind a tree as she saw two huntsmen searching for her. They had abandoned their horses because of the terrain.

"The signal says she's around here somewhere." One of them said, hefting his shotgun.

"She's close, I can feel it." Another replied, walking around with his shotgun across his shoulders, kicking some leaves. Serena watched for a moment as they started to look around, sweeping the area. Seizing her opportunity, she leapt from her hiding spot, launching some dust into the first hunter's face.

As he collapsed to the ground, clutching his eyes, she took up his gun. She threw some dust into the other hunter's face before he could get a shot off, and brought the butt of the shotgun into his face with a satisfying crunch. She swung around, kicking the other in the head, putting him down on the ground. They were both out for the count.

Realising the shotgun was pretty much useless; she placed it on the ground. Using it would only attract attention to her position, and the collar was doing that enough as it was.

"Alright Hayley, go ahead." Serena stated, searching each of the men for something more useful as a weapon. A club of some description, or preferably a knife, but unfortunately neither of them had anything on them other than cash, cigars, and extra shells for their shotguns. She just abandoned them, realising there was nothing of note. "Which way?"

"Head south." Hayley told her. "At the south end, there's a hedge maze that will provide great cover between the tree-line and some out-buildings."

"Thanks Hayley." Serena replied, checking the position of the sun and running off. "I'll keep you posted."

"I'll do the same." Hayley replied. "Meanwhile, I'll see if I can turn things in your favour."

"How?" Serena asked.

"Trust me, it'll only take longer if I try and explain." Hayley replied.

"Fine, then shut up and work." Serena answered.

"I thought you might say that." Hayley sighed. "I'll let you know if something comes up."

Back at the Shiba House, Jayden finally made his way back into the house. The lights were all out, suggesting everyone was already in bed.

He made his way into the main room, heading towards the bedroom, but as he got there, he found Mentor Ji sitting there in front of a table with a couple of large candles lit the only light in the room. There was a bottle of whisky there, and two glasses. Mentor Ji poured himself a glass.

"It isn't like you to be gone so long." Mentor Ji commented. "You never called."

"It's late." Jayden answered, gesturing towards his room. "I should..."

"Sit." Mentor Ji instructed him. He sighed and took a seat with Mentor Ji, who started to pour him a glass. He shoved it towards The Red Ranger.

"I'd rather not..."

"You have already been drinking." He announced. "Do not deny it. I can smell it."

"I may have stopped by a bar." Jayden replied. "I am over 21."

"I doubt a couple more will do any harm." Mentor Ji stated, gesturing to the glass. Jayden picked up his glass, taking a sip. "Now more than ever, it is imperative we stay in contact. Going off alone is unadvisable at best, but to be gone for so long without contact..."

"Right, call home." Jayden interrupted him. "Lesson learned. I got it."

"Jayden!" He barked as the Red Ranger started to get up, pointing for him to sit again. Jayden did as he was told, realising that Mentor Ji was far from happy with his behaviour. "Emily graduated today."

"She did?" He asked Mentor Ji.

"A fact you would have been aware of if you had been here." Mentor Ji chastised him. "Tomorrow, we are having a celebration. I expect you to be there."

"Whatever." Jayden muttered. He realised that he had missed an important event for one of his team. Being so far from her family, Emily pretty much relied on the Rangers for moments like this. He hated to think that she had experienced that without him.

"Antonio is making progress with the Black Box." Mentor Ji told him. "Kevin and Mike were working hard on their technique..."

"I get it alright?" Jayden snapped. "I screwed up. I just...needed some space."

"Something is troubling you." Mentor Ji sighed. "This isn't like you Jayden."

The Red Ranger finished his glass and poured another. He was troubled by what was happening to him. It wasn't as though he asked for this. He knew what was expected of him. He knew that he had duties that he needed to perform. He didn't know how he would explain things to Mentor Ji.

"I have raised you almost your entire life." Mentor Ji reminded him. "If there is something you need to talk about..."

"No, really." Jayden replied curtly. "Sorry I went off the radar today. I just needed space to think about things."

"Sometimes thoughts are best sorted out if shared." Mentor Ji reminded him. "I am always here, but if you cannot speak with me, then you know the others..."

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll be fine." Jayden assured him. Mentor Ji just sighed and shook his head as he realised he was getting nowhere. He just finished his glass, and then got up.

"We're getting up early tomorrow. There's something we need to sort out for Emily's celebration." Mentor Ji told him. "I expect all of us to be there tomorrow. That is non-negotiable. Tomorrow is about Emily."

"I'll be there." Jayden assured him as he turned and left. Mentor Ji didn't bother to tell him to clean up, that much was understood.

Jayden put the bottle away in the liquor cabinet, and the glasses away in the sink, before taking a deep breath. He hated this situation. He needed space; he needed to get away from the problem. Being so close to Antonio was just making it harder for him. If he could just spend a while away from them until he got used to ignoring his own feelings, then he would be able to get through it. Unfortunately, he needed to be there for Emily, he was also Antonio's room-mate. Looking to the bedroom door, he couldn't bring himself to go inside, where he knew Antonio would already be sleeping.

Looking out a blanket, he went to the couch and lay down to sleep.

Back at the Kensington Estate, Serena had finally made her way round to the south side of the woods. It had been a long trek, and she had encountered another hunter, taking him down quietly before setting his horse loose. It would draw attention with the noise, and besides, as far as she was concerned, they were innocent. The hunters had paid for the privilege of being here. They knew what they were doing. The horses only did what the riders instructed them to. She couldn't bring herself to harm the horses.

She got to the edge of the tree line, and saw the hedge maze a few feet ahead of her. Out in the grounds, she only really had the hunters to worry about. In the house, she also had guards to consider, but she was still convinced that in the house, the range of the tracking device would make it next to useless to the hunters.

She saw some gardening tools near the maze. As she waited for the nearest guard to disappear from view, she ran over, stopping by the tools. She quickly picked up a shovel before heading into the maze.

"Alright Hayley, talk to me." She told her.

"The maze is pretty basic." She told her. Serena followed Hayley's instructions for the maze, trusting her to be her eye in the sky so to speak.

"How's your idea working out?" Serena asked.

"With any luck, I should have some very good news for you shortly." Hayley replied as she heard a bleep. "That's IT!"

"OK, what?" Serena asked.

"Your GPS is connected to handsets the hunters are carrying right?" Hayley asked her. "I reversed the signal."

"You can see where they are!" Serena said with a smile. "Hayley, that's brilliant!"

"There are twenty one signals, meaning twenty one hunters. They're all in the woods, heading south. Given their speed, I'd say they've all abandoned the horses."

"They haven't figured out I'm heading for the house yet." Serena replied. "That gives me a little time."

As a guard came to the entrance to the maze, Serena swing the shovel, connecting with his face with a loud, metallic clang. She dragged him into the maze where he wouldn't be seen, and searched him, finding nothing of note.

"Sorry for the interruption." Serena commented. "How close are they?"

"Not close enough." Hayley assured her. "Check for guards, and you're clear to go."

Serena took a look around and sprinted between two out-buildings, keeping out of view. As she got close to the house, she saw the two guards she had injured in the earlier escape attempt busying themselves by a jeep that was up on a jack.

It was about thirty feet; she needed to move quickly but quietly. She hugged the wall as she drew close, finding the one with the bruised face working with a tyre brace, changing a wheel. She ran up to him, smacking the jack out from under the jeep, dropping it on his foot.

As he howled in pain, she grabbed the tyre brace from his hand, and smashed him in the jaw, knocking him out. The other guard came hobbling around, pulling out a knife.

"You!" He growled, seeing her. As she saw him reach for what looked like a radio, she brought the tyre brace down across his wrist, breaking it. She snatched up his knife, and drove it into his right buttock, causing him to fall to the ground in agony.

"Now both sides match!" She stated, kicking him in the face, knocking him unconscious. "Dick!"

Discarding the tyre brace, she took the knife and opened the back door, finding herself in the kitchen.

"Hayley, I'm in." She told her.

"Alright, I've had a look at the Kensingtons' employee records." Hayley replied. "There are at least a dozen listed as guards..."

"You can count three down." Serena told her.

"All I'm saying is be careful." Hayley replied. "I can't track the guards, only the hunters. You need to find a way around them."

"It's alright; I have an idea about that." Serena assured her with a smile as she moved through to another room, seeing something that triggered her memory.

"Care to share?" Hayley asked her.

"Let's just say something Frederick said gave me an idea." Serena replied.


	7. Hunter and Hunted

The Kensingtons and what was left of their hunting party emerged from the woods, coming back into the mansion grounds. There were seventeen of them left in total, three having been incapacitated in the woods as she made her way back here. Serena had led them full circle through the woods, but the signal from her collar had brought them right back to the house. As they got there, Edward checked his hand set, finding that the signal from Serena's tracker covered an area almost the full size of the house. He gave a little smirk as Frederick threw his handset onto the ground.

"Clever girl." He whispered in appreciation of her strategy. Inside the house, the tracking signal was all but useless, restricting the hunting party to looking for her the old-fashioned way. He had to appreciate the fact that she was cutting down the odds stacked against her.

"She's in the damn house!" Frederick roared. Just then, they heard some moaning from a little way off. Frederick signalled a couple of the hunters to go and check it out. They both gripped their shotguns tightly as they went over, finding the two guards by the jeep.

"Over here!" They called out, attracting the attentions of the hunting party. They all rushed around, finding both men on the ground. One of them was rolling around, clutching his foot, while the other had a nasty grimace of pain on his face, and was holding his backside.

"What the hell happened?" Frederick demanded.

"That bitch got the drop on us!" The one holding his ass told them. "She stabbed me in the arse again!"

"There's another one here!" Another hunter told them, finding a guy by the hedge maze, holding a cloth to a nasty cut on his head. "He's pretty out of it. I think he might be concussed."

"She's cutting down our numbers." Kenzo announced. He had joined the hunting party as a way of amusing himself until he could get rid of her, but now it looked like she was a much stronger opponent than he had given her credit for.

As they made their way into the lobby, they found another four guards, all writhing in pain, all of them sporting minor injuries that took them out of the fight, but that wouldn't be life-threatening. Kenzo just had a little smirk on his face as he saw this. Why would she risk letting her enemies live? These men were obviously no match for her. One of the hunters thought he saw a movement on one of the upper floors and pointed his shotgun, but Frederick snatched it from him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He demanded. "Do you have any idea how much this place costs?"

"But I thought I saw something." He replied. Frederick just rolled his eyes.

"Fine, but no guns!" He announced. He went to a display in the corner, a couple of crossed swords behind a shield bearing his family's coat of arms, and pulled out the swords, handing one to his father. "Find whatever you want, but just remember. This house is worth more than all of you combined!"

With that, they all split up into teams, going in search of Serena, little aware that she already knew they were here. She just smiled as she saw them go in search of her, realising her plan was working.

An hour passed, and the tensions were beginning to build. They had already found the other guards, all incapacitated like the others, meaning that the hunting party were now on their own. Edward and Frederick had made their way to Serena's room, figuring she might go in search of her possessions, but found everything there exactly as she left it.

"She's playing with us." Edward commented with a smile. He was far more into these hunts than his son was. Frederick only really went along with it because of his father. He preferred it when the odds where in their favour, when the hunt was over open ground and the quarry was unarmed and outnumbered. In the house, she had cut down the numbers, and they were reduced to looking for her manually. She had taken much of the advantage from them, leaving only the fact that she was outnumbered against her, and by the looks of things she was a deadly opponent. Edward, however, was finding himself becoming thoroughly excited at the prospect of worthy prey. He had enjoyed the hunts, but he had never faced anyone so formidable since he had quit the military.

Just then, they heard a noise from outside. Some sounds of combat, pierced with a scream. They both ran out into the hall, finding three members of the hunting party on the ground. As Edward approached, he checked their necks, finding each of them dead. He indicated this fact to his son with a cut-throat gesture. Frederick felt a chill down his spine. These men had come to the hunt for a couple of years now and he knew them.

"They're dead?" Frederick asked his father.

"Yes." Edward replied. "That is odd."

"Odd?" Frederick shrieked. "She just killed three of our...!"

"Why would she kill these three?" Edward asked himself, ignoring his son's panic.

"She killed two of our guards last night!" Frederick reminded his father.

"And yet, every person since then she has taken out with non-lethal attacks...until now." Edward continued. "Why?"

"Who cares?" Frederick yelled. "Let's just find her and take her out before anyone else dies!"

Just then, they saw an open door a little way off. It was Frederick's room. Edward gestured to his son to follow him and went over, opening the door with the tip of his sword. It didn't look like anything was amiss as they went inside, but then Frederick noticed a note on his dresser. He picked it up and read it.

"What is it?" Edward asked him.

"Her weapon, that blade thing, I had it in here." Frederick told him. "She's found it."

"This hunt is just getting interesting." Edward said with a little smile as they left.

Meanwhile, Kenzo was making his way through the halls a couple of floors down. As he did so, he found another couple of hunters, all in agony with various painful and debilitating stab wounds. He just smiled.

"You're good girl." He complimented Serena thoughtfully. "However, your respect for life is going to cost you."

He counted the hunters who were down, another five. Between the three that were lost to the forest, and the three he had killed upstairs, that meant only nine remained, including Edward and Frederick.

He looked around, sniffing the air. As a result of his new mutation, his sense of smell was now a lot keener. Her scent was all around him. She had been here, and given the strength of the scent, she had been here recently.

"I guess you're trying to clear out your foes before going for the sword." He commented. "Why I wonder?"

Just then, a thought occurred to him.

"This place stinks so much I may not know where you are." Kenzo commented as he got up and made his way to some stairs. "Of course, I do know where you're going."

In another part of the house, three more hunters were stalking the corridors, looking for Serena. By now, everyone was more than a little nervous. They now knew that the hunt was no longer one-sided. By now, they knew that there was a chance that the tables would turn, and they were all worried about who was next.

Before they knew what was happening, one of the men found himself snatched backwards, and a blade penetrating his shoulder. Serena threw him to the ground as the other two turned to face her.

"Where the hell did you come from?" One of them asked her.

She didn't answer though, and in a short flurry, she had broken one's leg, and stabbed the other with her blade through the thigh, sending him to the floor. Serena just observed her handy work before running off.

"Fourteen down, six to go." Serena said to herself as she disappeared back into the darkness.

Frederick and Edward had gone around almost the whole house, finding hunters wherever they went. Some of them dead, some of them wounded. They both knew now exactly how deadly their prey was. They had just found three more hunters dead. So far, only Kenzo was unaccounted for, but they were beginning to think that perhaps he had either fled, or had fallen, and they simply hadn't found him yet. In the end, it didn't matter either way, they were working on the presumption that they were on their own.

Eventually, they got to the armoury. Edward gestured to Frederick to check out the balcony, while he made his way into the main room.

Edward stalked among the ancient weaponry, his gaze sweeping this way and that. His heart rate quickened in the combination of fear and anticipation that had thrilled him in his military days as he looked around. A small smile came to his face. Serena was close, he could feel it. Just then, he heard a noise in the corner and turned to see Michael in the corner, bound and gagged. He was bound to the podium where the Masamune should have been, but he could see that the sword was missing.

"Come on out girl!" Edward roared. "Let's finish this as a fair fight!"

Just then, he heard a scream from the balcony, and Frederick fell to the floor, landing in a heap. His blood spilled from a wound in his chest where his heart would be. He looked up, seeing Kenzo, holding the Masamune. He leapt off the balcony, landing nimbly on his feet by his son's corpse.

"Frederick!" He screamed, realising his son was dead. "You...you killed those men!"

"You catch on quick old man." Kenzo said casually. "I had intended a different target, though I could be tempted to go for a warm-up."

The battle was short. Despite his military background, Kenzo had trained with a sword his entire life, and was a vastly superior warrior. Edward fell to his knees, clutching a deep wound in his stomach.

"You enjoy hunting so much; I suppose you'll appreciate the irony." Kenzo stated, turning into his Nighlock form as he raised his sword over his head, preparing to decapitate him. "The hunter became the hunted."

Just then, there was a breaking of glass as the full-length mirror in the wall smashed, and Serena revealed herself. She came out of the hidden tunnel, knocking Kenzo several feet from Edward with a hard flying kick, before snatching up his sword. Kenzo got up, and looked to her in shock.

"How?" He asked her.

"When I was in the Slave Quarters, Frederick commented on the way I leapt down from the balcony. The only way he could have seen that was if he was here." She told him. "Then I remembered there were full-length mirrors in every room. They're two way mirrors. There are secret passages all over this house. I guess they use them to spy on guests, so I took a gamble the other guests and guards didn't know about them. It's a gamble that paid off."

"Well, you got here at least." Kenzo told her, lifting the sword. "I guess you want this then?"

"Take it for all I care." Serena told him. "I just want to get the kid out of here and see these guys get what they deserve."

"Well, seeing as we're here, how about we see how good you really are?" He asked her. Serena just smiled. She turned around, cutting Michael's bonds and grabbing the kid.

"Come on!" She screamed, dragging him with her as she threw the sword aside. Kenzo just watched her go, and disappeared into a gap. She had fled like a coward, and let him get exactly what he came for.

Outside, Michael managed to get his gag off, and looked to Serena as they paused for breath.

"What the hell happened in there?" He asked her. "What was that thing?"

"It's best you don't know." Serena told him. "After the last week, don't you think you've had enough weird shit in your life?"

"Who are you anyway?" He asked her. "Interpol? CIA?"

"I'm just someone who wants a sword." She told him.

"But...that guy got the sword." He responded.

"It's the wrong one." She answered with a note of disappointment in her voice. "Listen, I can't be around when the authorities get here. Can you make it to town by yourself?"

"Yeah." He answered her with a nod.

"Get to town; tell the cops what happened here." She told him. "They'll want to know what's been going on here the last few years."

"What about you?" He asked.

"I've got to get my things and get out of here." She replied. "I'll be long gone by the time the cops get here."

Michael just nodded in understanding, before turning tail and running. Serena just watched him go and let out a long, low whistle, impressed by what she saw. The kid had already told her that he was a cross-country running champion, the reason he was chosen for the hunt.

"Wow, he is fast." She stated. "Alright Hayley, I'm just going to get my stuff. Where do I go?"

"Head South." She told her. "I'll have someone pick you up at the highway."

Serena went back into the house, gathering her belongings and making her way from Kensington Manor, thankful for the fact she would never set eyes on the place again.

"So why didn't you try and stop Kenzo?" Hayley asked her.

"He drew the sword." Serena told her. "That means it's the wrong one. Kasamune can only be drawn by a worthy mistress."

"So you did all that for nothing." Hayley sighed regretfully.

"Not exactly nothing." Serena answered. "Michael's alive, and God knows how long it would have been before anyone figured out what the Kensingtons really did out here."

"I guess you take any victory you can from these situations." Hayley replied. "Someone will be waiting for you at the highway. I'll contact you when you get to a safe location."

"Thanks Hayley." Serena responded as Hayley signed off. She hefted her bag onto her shoulder and ran off into the woods, heading south for the Highway, hoping that she could soon get a shower and a warm bed.

Meanwhile, in the Netherworld, Kenzo was waiting in a cave as Octoroo arrived, finding him there with the sword. Kenzo just sighed as he saw him.

"It's about time." Kenzo said sarcastically. "I contacted you ages ago!"

"You are not my only concern." Octoroo replied. "Master Xandred needed a lot of medicine today. I couldn't leave."

"Well, here it is, as promised." Kenzo said proudly, handing him the sword. "That girl ran off without putting up any kind of a fight. I swear, she..."

"Is this some kind of joke?" Octoroo interrupted him harshly.

"I got you the sword!" He protested. "Just like..."

"Don't you think it was odd that she just ran off without even trying to get the sword off you?" Octoroo asked him. "It's the wrong sword you idiot!"

"Hey, you sent me after it!" Kenzo reminded him. "I was just told to get it, and I did!"

"You don't think I was watching?" Octoroo asked him. "You had the perfect opportunity to take her out, and your ego got the better of you. Now, she's still on the hunt, and we're no closer to retrieving Kasamune than we were before!"

"Listen noodle-face...!" His words were cut off as Octoroo blasted him into the cave wall. He just levelled his staff at the half-human.

"I've had enough of your incompetence." He stated. "From now on, I call the shots. You will remain here. I will come when I need you again."

With that, he disappeared. Kenzo got up, kicking a rock in frustration. He knew that he could do nothing to Octoroo, and as an unknown Nighlock, if he left the cave, any he met would eliminate him as a potential usurper to Master Xandred's throne. Right now, he had no choice but to follow Octoroo's plan. As he thought about the manor, his rage burned within him. Next time they met, he would not let Serena go so easily. Next time, he would see her life extinguished at his hands.


	8. Mike's Surprise

Serena finally made it to the highway, a couple of miles from the Kensington Manor. It had been a long and particularly trying mission, which had been capped with the disappointment that it was yet again a dead end. Still, she consoled herself with the fact that at least Michael was safe and the Kensingtons' little hunting parties would be shut down for good. Frederick was dead, killed by the mysterious Kenzo, and she hadn't hung around long enough to find out what happened to Edward, but she suspected his injuries were fatal. She doubted anyone who was still at the manor would be able to get away from there before the cops arrived, and that meant that they would have a lot of difficult questions to answer.

As she got to the road, she saw a man standing, waiting for her by a minibus. She stumbled over to him, leaning over to catch her breath.

"God only knows how that Michael kid does it." She muttered as the driver came over to her, taking her bag. "That run almost finished off what the Kensingtons started."

"Hayley figured you'd appreciate me bringing these." The man announced, showing her a pair of sharp scissors. It was only then that she realised she was still wearing the tracking collar. It seemed a little pointless to run from the cops if they could use the trackers to locate her. "Hold still."

She held her hair clear as the driver carefully slid the blade under the collar and cut through the leather, releasing her from it. Serena took the collar and threw it into the woods, hoping never to see it again. The driver helped her into the minibus, and got in, pulling away from the hard shoulder, back onto the highway.

"So where am I going now?" Serena asked him.

"Well right now, you're coming to the safe-house." He told her. "I doubt you want to go to a hotel looking like that."

Serena caught a look at her appearance in the mirror and realised what he meant. She was covered in mud, scratches and bruises, and still wearing only a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. Her hidden blade was not exactly concealed by the short sleeves. She just nodded her head in agreement.

"I guess not." She conceded. "How far is it?"

"It's only a couple of miles." He assured her. "I'm Keith by the way."

"Serena." She introduced herself wearily. She pulled out her cell phone, switching it on. "Damn it!"

"What is it?" Keith asked.

"I've got a ton of messages from my sister." She told him. "My cell's been off all weekend. She must be wondering where I am."

"Well, I doubt she'll mind waiting a few hours to hear from you." He told her. "By my reckoning, it's about five in the morning over there."

"I guess she's waited this long." Serena replied, leaning against the side of the car. "If you hear snoring, just ignore it."

"I'll wake you when we get there." Keith chuckled as she allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

At the Shiba House, early in the morning, Emily started to slowly stir as she heard some sounds coming from the living room. She rubbed her eyes wearily as she started to get out of the bed. As she did so, she noticed that Mia was already out of the bed.

Checking her clock, she noticed it was 7:00 AM. Mentor Ji had given them all the day off for her graduation party, and so she knew that they weren't at training. Why was Mia already out of bed?

She yawned as she made her way out of the bedroom, heading for the kitchen to make herself some coffee.

"Emily!" Mike called out as he saw her. Emily just looked to him, but was surprised to see all the others there as well, together with Mentor Ji and some people she didn't know. She suddenly became aware of the fact she was still in her pyjamas, and started to draw away. Mike just grabbed her and hugged her tightly. "Sorry, we thought you'd be ready by the time we were finished."

"Finished what?" She asked him. As she looked around him, she now noticed more than a bunch of strangers staring at her in her pyjamas. There were racks of clothing all around the room, carrying suits and dresses in a variety of colours and styles. The strangers were carrying measuring tapes. Jayden and Antonio were already wearing tuxedos, while Mia was being measured up for a dress. Kevin was just in the middle of choosing a bow tie and cummerbund for his suit, while Mentor Ji was patiently waiting his turn. "Mike, what is all this?"

"Well, I got to thinking about what you said when you printed off that diploma." He told her. "You know, how you felt like you were missing out on graduation and prom and everything."

"Yeah?" She asked him, wondering where he was going with this. It was then that he turned her to show her what was hanging on a door a little way from her. Her eyes lit up as she saw a gown and a mortarboard in a hanging bag. She turned to him, immediately forgetting her initial embarrassment.

"Well, I kind of missed out on all that too." He reminded her. "I came here before graduation, and as for prom? Well, I kind of didn't feel like going by myself to be made fun of like the other singletons."

"Mike convinced me that this celebration might be worth a little more effort." Mentor Ji told her as Kevin was finished with his choices, a blue cummerbund and bow tie naturally, and he was being called up to be fitted for his suit.

"I know it's not the same, since your folks and your sister aren't here and all." Mike continued, holding her hands gently in his own. "But I figured, instead of just a party, maybe...we could give you the whole graduation package."

"Mike!" She yelled excitedly, leaping into his arms and kissing him passionately. "I can't believe you did this! You went to so much trouble!"

She turned to the tailors and held up a hand.

"Uh, can I just have a few minutes for a shower?" She asked them. She kissed her boyfriend again, before running into her room to get ready. Mike was smiling from ear to ear at her excitement. When he had suggested to Mentor Ji that they hire outfits to make things a little more like a proper graduation, he had no idea that he would have been able to arrange something like this. It was all so sudden, and while he knew that Mentor Ji had more than a few friends and contacts, he didn't realise that he could arrange a full graduation fitting in the living room of the Shiba House overnight.

As the assistant helping Mia finished helping her choose a dress, Mike was called over to the fitting area for his own fitting.

Meanwhile, in the corner, Jayden was sitting, waiting on the others as Antonio came over, offering him a plate of toast.

"No thanks." Jayden said, holding up a hand.

"You might want to." Antonio suggested as he sat down, taking a sip of some champagne. They had figured that a champagne breakfast was not exactly out of the question for such a special occasion. "I mean, once the party gets underway, we have no idea when we'll stop for..."

Jayden just lifted some toast off the plate, and started to crunch through it, trying as much as possible to ignore Antonio. He hated being this close to him. It just made things harder for him.

"You didn't come to bed last night." Antonio sighed. "You were gone all day yesterday."

"I wasn't aware that it was your job to keep tabs on my whereabouts." Jayden sneered.

"Jayden, have I done something wrong?" Antonio asked him.

"What do you mean?" Jayden asked him.

"You've been pretty...well...you haven't really been yourself for a couple of days." Antonio commented. "I just wanted to know if I'd done anything."

"It's not you Antonio." Jayden responded.

"It's just; all of this seemed to start when we had that sparring match." Antonio recalled. "You just kind of walked off after that. You've been avoiding all of us since then."

"Look, just because we live and train together doesn't mean we have to spend every waking minute together." Jayden replied sarcastically. Just then, Emily came back in, showered, and changed, and bounded over to a free tailor excitedly to be measured up to see what they could find for her. Jayden used this moment of distraction to get up and leave Antonio sitting on his own as he went into the kitchen to fetch himself something more substantial for breakfast.

About an hour later, the Rangers were all assembled in the training yard, on the mat outside. Mentor Ji was standing at the front in a tux, with a long red gown over it. Since he was their Mentor, he was the closest thing they had to a headmaster, and so it seemed only right that he was the one that perform the ceremony.

Sitting on chairs before him, the Rangers were waiting for the start of the ceremony. Mia was wearing a long, pink cocktail dress, while Kevin, Antonio, Jayden and Mike were all wearing tuxedos with appropriately coloured bow ties and cummerbunds. Mike was also wearing a robe, and he had a mortar board in his hands as he waited for Emily to arrive. Eventually, she came out of the house, wearing a beautifully patterned yellow dress under her graduation robes. She placed the mortarboard on her head, and made her way towards Mentor Ji, with a skip in her step. She knew that the official part was over with when her diploma was certified, and that this ceremony strictly speaking meant nothing, but it just felt amazing, like a part of her life was finished, and she was looking forward to the future, one that was just full of possibilities.

As she approached the front, Mike got up, and she saw that he too was wearing a robe. She smiled to see him.

"You look, amazing!" He complimented her.

"You look great too." She returned the compliment. "But...what's with the robe?"

"Well, I missed graduation too." He reminded her. "Mentor Ji suggested that since we're doing this for you, we may as well get another robe."

"Emily, Mike, if you would please." Mentor Ji beckoned them, bringing them to the front of the mat. He looked out over all the assembled Rangers as Emily and Mike stood next to each other. Mike found Emily's hand and held it. "Graduation is a time of commencement, the end of one chapter, and the beginning of a new one."

He looked to Mike and Emily with a warm smile on his face.

"We all know both Mike and Emily. They are fantastic young people, who have amazed us and impressed us more times than any of us can really recall." Mentor Ji continued as the others watched on. "It is for this reason that with the achievements they have earned, I am confident that as they now step forth into adulthood, they will achieve whatever they set their minds to."

"As long as they don't spend all day goofing off playing video games." Kevin shot out. There was a small ripple of laughter from the Rangers at this reference to his initial annoyance about Mike's less than serious attitude. Mentor Ji presented Emily with a scroll, and moved the tassel of her mortar board to the opposite side. He then did the same with Mike.

"You may now go forth, armed with the skills you have learned." Mentor Ji announced. "Follow your dreams, and conquer whatever you wish to do."

The other Rangers cheered and threw confetti over Mike and Emily. Mike grabbed his mortar board and threw it into the air, before encouraging Emily to do the same. The Yellow Ranger grabbed her hat, throwing it in the air, before leaping into Mike's arms, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you Mike." She whispered in his ear. "This was so amazing!"

"It's only just starting." He assured her. He took off his robe, handing it to Mentor Ji. Emily did the same. "We're all headed to lunch at that fancy Italian place in town, and by the time we come back...these guys will be finished."

She turned around in time to see some guys coming in with an entertainment system, and decorations. She just looked at him as her excitement overcame her.

"You're kidding right?" She asked Mike. He shook his head.

"Nope." He said with authority. "Tonight, you're going to prom."

Serena woke up in a bed some time later. Keith had taken her to a place where she could get cleaned up and get some rest. As she woke up, she realised that the adrenaline had finally subsided, and now every of her body ached. She groaned as she sat up on the bed.

"Alright Hayley, what do we have to do now?" She asked. "Maybe you'd like me to take on the entire Chinese Air Force or storm the Pentagon?"

"Actually right now, I'm running up against something of a brick wall." Hayley admitted. "We're having trouble tracking any other Masamune blades."

"Right about now, I'm finding it hard to think that's a bad thing." She grumbled. "So what does that mean?"

"Well, for one thing, it means we have no idea what to ask you to do next." She replied. "So, you have a choice. You can either get a flight home, or you can rest up..."

"The second." She interrupted Hayley. "I feel bad enough without being cooped up on a 16 hour flight."

"Alright, I figured you might want a break." Hayley replied. "Keith and Kat will be fine to put you up for a day or two."

"Wait Kat?" Serena asked. "As in the woman whose name I've been using the last couple of days?"

"Yes, there really is a Kat Hillard." She heard a male voice tell her. "She's an old friend."

"OK, who's this?" Serena asked.

"That's just Tommy." Hayley sighed. "It's alright, you can trust him. He's got history...let's just say he's not a stranger to this kind of thing."

"Fine, whatever, Hi Tommy." She responded wearily. "Seeing as I'm here, I need to call my sister. She's left a couple of dozen messages. I'm guessing it's important."

"Alright, rest up Serena." Hayley answered. "I'll contact you when I know something."

"I can't wait." Serena said sarcastically as Hayley signed off. She pulled out her cell phone, figuring out the time difference to make sure she wouldn't be calling at a bad time and dialled Emily.

"Emily, its Serena!" She said as cheerfully as she could, given how much pain she was in.

"Serena?" Emily asked. "Where have you been? I've been calling!"

"Sorry, I had a lot on this weekend." She replied. Emily didn't know about Serena's quest, and from her understanding, right now, that was the way it was meant to stay for the time being at least. "I got back to you as soon as I could. What's so important?"

Emily had to hush up Mike, who was offering her the bread basket as she was trying to speak with her sister.

"What's all the noise?" Serena asked her. "Where are you?"

"The guys took me to an Italian for lunch." She told her. "Serena, I graduated!"

"Emily that's amazing!" Serena called out; smiling the first genuine smile she had for what felt like months. "Congratulations!"

"I'm in the 95th percentile!" Emily told her excitedly. "The guys threw me an amazing party. They had a ceremony in the yard, and they brought me here, and Mike says when we get back, they're going to be throwing me a prom!"

"Em, that sounds so amazing, I'm really happy for you!" Serena told her. "I'm really sorry; I just wish I could be there. I'll send you something special, it should be there in a couple of days, and I'll come out there as soon as I can, I promise!"

"Thanks Serena." Emily told her. "Mike, I told you, I don't like squid! No offence Antonio."

"It sounds like you're having a great time." Serena said with a huge grin. "Listen, I'll let you get back to it. Congratulations sis, I'm proud of you."

"Thanks." Emily said in response. "I love you."

"I love you too." Serena said as she hung up. Just then, a beautiful blonde woman came into the room, carrying some clothes.

"I thought I heard someone moving." She said in a heavy Australian accent as she laid the clothes down next to her. "Tommy explained everything."

"Thanks." Serena said, taking the clothes. "I'm sorry, I've been using your name all weekend, I feel like I should at least introduce myself. Serena."

"Kat." She replied, shaking her hand. "You already met my room-mate Keith."

She sat on the bed next to Serena, putting an arm around her, before nodding in the direction of the phone.

"I'm guessing that call was important." She surmised.

"My little sister just graduated." Serena replied as a tear started to roll down her face. "Listen to me, 'little sister', she's eighteen and she's just graduated! It's not like she's a kid."

"I guess you wish you could have been there." Kat sighed. "I can't count the number of times I missed out during my time in the Spandex."

"You were a Ranger?" Serena asked her. She just nodded.

"It's how Tommy and I met." She explained.

"I'm not even a Ranger though." Serena commented. "I still don't understand why Mentor Ji had to send me. I mean, he knows all these contacts and things...surely he could have picked anyone."

"In my experience, you don't question these things." Kat told her. "The Morphing Grid has some weird mystical, almost religious element to it. For some reason, things happen, and it's just like...well...I hate to sound clichéd, but it's like...everything happens for a reason."

"Well I'd love to know what that reason is." Serena muttered. "Instead, my sister's graduating, and I'm 18,000 miles away. I can't even send her a card today."

"These things have a habit of revealing themselves when you least expect it." Kat said sagely. "Anyway, I'm putting on some breakfast. Are you hungry?"

"I guess." Serena answered as she got up. "I'll just get changed first."

"It'll just be ten minutes." Kat assured her. "See you downstairs."

As Kat left, and Serena started to get changed, she couldn't help but wonder about what she had said. Everything happened for a reason? Did that mean Mentor Ji had some plan for her all along? If so, what did he know? More importantly, if he did know something she didn't, then why hadn't he told her?


	9. Emily's Prom

As time wore on, the Rangers were really finding themselves enjoying their time at the Italian restaurant. Emily especially was having the time of her life. It wasn't often that they got the chance to just unwind and have a good time like this all together. The fact that this particular celebration was all about her just made it all the better for Emily.

As the main course was cleared away, the waiter came around with the dessert menu. They all looked to Mentor Ji hopefully, and he just nodded to confirm that he was willing to pay for a third course, much to their delight. They all perused the menu, imagining the delights within.

Jayden just looked at his menu as the others started to chatter about what they wanted to have to round out their meal. He wasn't having such a great time. Antonio had insisted on sitting right next to him, and it made things so much harder than they needed to be. He was looking pretty good in his tux, Jayden had to admit. Of course, Antonio always looked good to him. That was exactly the problem. He could no longer deny the fact that he was having these feelings for Antonio.

As Antonio quizzed one of the waiters about the dessert menu, he could see the look in his eye, and the subtle gestures. He was flirting with their waiter. It wasn't like he could blame him, as far as he knew, Antonio was single, and it wasn't as if Jayden had given him any reason to believe there was any reason he couldn't test the waters. It didn't stop Jayden feeling an intense hatred for the man. When Antonio touched his shoulder and the man smiled at him, Jayden just wanted to tear that arm off. The waiter left to fetch Antonio's order.

"It looks like I'm going to need some extra training." The Gold Ranger commented. "I know a whole banana split isn't the best, but when the food's this good, what's an extra pound or two?"

"It looks as if that isn't all you want." Mia teased him. He just gave her a little smile in response.

"I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it." He admitted. "Maybe I'll ask for his phone number later."

Jayden gripped his hands tightly under the table, his knuckles beginning to turn white as he heard this. It made his head hurt just thinking about it. While it hadn't even gone as far as Antonio asking him out, Jayden couldn't deny the anger building in him as he thought about someone else with him. He just wanted to reach out and grab him, to tell the Gold Ranger that the guy was wrong for him, but to do that, he'd have to reveal the reason he felt that way. Mentor Ji just coughed to attract Jayden's attention.

"Jayden, are you sure you don't want anything?" Mentor Ji asked him as the waitress finished taking their order. He just shook his head gently. He couldn't think of anything right now, much less eating.

"Well, maybe you can share mine." Antonio suggested. "Save me from myself huh?" He caught the waitress as she passed him.

"Excuse me, but that waiter, do you happen to know if he's...you know...on the market?" He asked her. She just shook her head.

"He's married." She told him. Antonio just clicked his fingers and gave a disappointed look to the table as she left.

"Why are the cute ones always straight?" He asked them. Inside, Jayden was more than happy to hear this. He knew he couldn't act on his feelings for Antonio, but that didn't make it any easier to imagine him hooking up with someone else. "Well, I guess I just have to keep looking."

"Maybe not too hard though." Kevin suggested. "I mean, we all stopped seeing our friends and families for a reason. You wouldn't want to put someone you care about in danger."

"Well that's easy for you to say, you have a girlfriend." Antonio reminded him as Kevin put his arm around Mia. He just shrugged as he looked to Jayden. "I guess that just means you and I are out of luck amigo. Unless there are any other Samurai hiding in the woodwork."

"I didn't even know about you." Jayden replied, hoping to end this conversation. "If you'll excuse me, I'm just heading to the bar. I need another beer."

"I'll come with..."

"It's fine." Jayden cut him off as Antonio was about to get up. "Does anyone else want anything?"

The other Rangers just shook their heads to indicate they were alright for drinks, at which Jayden just left. Antonio watched him go, a little concerned by the way he was acting.

On Master Xandred's Junk, Dayu was sitting alone in her quarters, taking advantage of one of the few times she ever was alone. Master Xandred had ordered her to destroy Dekker, and when she had failed, he had not been shy in making his displeasure known. He had accepted her explanation that she was no match for Dekker in a direct conflict, and that once he was no longer distracted by the Red Ranger, her opportunity to catch him unawares was lost. That still hadn't spared her from his wrath, or his torture. She was still in pain following his brutal punishment, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her heart.

Part of the curse of Urumasa was that he remembered little of his life that didn't make him a more effective warrior. While he remembered his family, and their mistreatment of him, the humiliation and rage they had built in him, he didn't remember her. That was the most painful thing of all. He couldn't remember when she was human and they had known each other before. Her mind drifted back to a time long ago, long before she had become a Nighlock.

She was a young girl, barely more than a child when she was brought to the house. Her family was poor, destitute. When her father could no longer afford to feed her, he took her around the noble houses, hoping to offload her as a servant.

She could remember coming to the house on that day. She was a skinny, frail looking thing, having had irregular meals at best for weeks. When food was scarce, priority went to her father and brother, since they needed their strength for working. She only ate when there was enough left over. She was dressed in filthy rags, and her feet were bare. She was brought before a man and his sons. She looked to the ground, her gaze never shifting from the embroidery at the bottom of their robes. Her father had taught her after the last house refused to take her never to look a superior in the face unless invited.

"Is this the girl you promised?" The man scoffed. "Are you sure she's alive?"

"She barely looks strong enough to hold herself up." His eldest son sneered. "What use will she be?"

"That will do Yarrick." The father responded. "I asked you a question peasant."

"She is stronger than she looks." Her father told him. "The drought has not been kind to our family, but I assure you she will work hard."

The man grabbed her chin roughly and turned her face upwards to get a better look at her. Despite her hunger, she was quite a pretty girl in her own right, with smooth, unblemished skin, and long, dark hair. He looked into her eyes as if he was inspecting livestock. "Does she talk?"

"Only when spoken to." Her father assured the man. She had learned that lesson when the first family turned her down. Her father's cane was an effective teacher in that respect.

"Does she read?" The noble asked.

"She can." He responded.

"Does she have her own teeth?" The noble asked, turning her face a little as he checked her hair for any sign of lice. "Show me girl."

"Do as he says Dayu." Her father beckoned her. Dayu showed that she did indeed still possess teeth. He wasn't really concerned about her welfare, the noble only wanted to know because it would make feeding her easier.

"She seems healthy enough." The noble told him. "I'm not sure she's worth fifty though, I'll give you 15."

"Please..." Her father began, but he noticed the boys' hands straying to their swords as he stepped forward and backed down. The noble just snorted, before reaching to his purse.

"Fine, twenty, but not one coin more." He sighed, handing over the money. This man was easily wealthy enough to have no need to haggle, but he also could tell that her father was in no position to refuse any offer for his daughter. He just took the coin and left the house, never to return.

"Yarrick show her to her quarters." He ordered his eldest son. "Get her a bath and some suitable clothing. She may be a half-dead peasant, but if she's to remain in our house, there's no reason she needs to look or smell like one."

"Come girl." Yarrick barked, gesturing for her to follow him. As she went inside, and the gates shut behind her, there was a finality to it that filled her with a sense of hopelessness.

She looked around the grounds fearfully, taking in every detail. She didn't know exactly what her duties would be as a servant, but she was sure that they would quickly let her know. It was then that she noticed another boy, perhaps a year or so older than her, working on a mannequin, striking it as hard as he could. There was blood on the mannequin, and as she took another look, she realised that it came from wounds on the boy's knuckles. She felt a hand grabbing her roughly by the scruff of the neck.

"I said come!" Yarrick snapped at her. "Dekker! Harder!"

The younger boy just nodded, and went back to his exercises, hitting the mannequin harder than before. As they got to a small out building and Yarrick ushered her inside to show her the shed they intended her to use as a bedroom, she cast her gaze back to the youngest brother. He was clearly treated harshly by his family, he wasn't even thought of as important enough to be with the rest of the family to inspect their new servant girl. Although she hadn't spoken with him, she could sense a kinship with him. He had things just as bad as her. Perhaps together they would survive it.

Over at the Shiba House, the Rangers arrived back, to find that the party planners had completed their work. The yard was decked out with lights and decorations, and an entertainment system had been set up to provide music. Emily was all but on the moon with excitement to see it all, knowing that Mike had set this up just for her. She might not have gotten to go to the prom at her own school, but Mike had made one just for her.

"You know, there are a couple of traditions I need to observe." Mike told her as Mentor Ji, Kevin and Antonio went to the kitchen to fetch the food for the barbecue. "The first thing I guess is I still have to ask you if you'll go to prom with me."

"Are you serious?" She giggled. "What do you think the answer is going to be genius?"

"It's tradition." He replied. "Emily, would you do me the honour of being my date to the prom?"

"I'd love to." She answered. Mike gestured to Mia, who reached into her purse for something. Emily held her hands over her face, breathless as Mia handed Mike a corsage. He smiled at Emily as he presented it to her. She just held her right hand up, allowing him to place it on her wrist.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Kevin reached into the fridge to get the salads as Antonio started to prepare the meat for the barbecue. Everyone had noticed that Antonio had been a little quiet since the restaurant, but so far none of them had a chance to really ask him what was troubling him. Mentor Ji gestured to Kevin to give them some space. The Blue Ranger took his salad bowls with him. Mentor Ji just came to Antonio's side as he started to cut up some fish.

"You have been very quiet." Mentor Ji stated. "I'm beginning to think something is wrong."

"That almost sounded like a joke." Antonio said with a little smile, trying to distract Mentor Ji from the issue. He could see though that he was focussed, and that it was a hopeless task to avoid this conversation. He just sighed. "Jayden's been acting strangely for a couple of days now."

"I have noticed." Mentor Ji agreed.

"Yeah, but...when I think about it, he only started acting this way since we had that sparring match." Antonio told him.

"Do you think that has something to do with this?" Mentor Ji asked him. Antonio had to think about what he would say for a moment. He knew that Mentor Ji and Jayden were practically father and son. He was the closest person to Jayden, and he had to be careful what he said.

"I made a stupid joke when he pinned me." Antonio recalled. "I said he had me where he wanted me."

He turned to Mentor Ji and looked to him quizzically.

"Do you think he has a problem with...you know...what I am?" He asked. "He said he was cool with it, but I'm starting to wonder."

Meanwhile, out in the yard, Mike was slow dancing with Emily to the music as they waited for word from the others. Mia was sitting at a table with Jayden, talking with him about something as the night wore on. Emily wrapped her arms around Mike's neck, resting her head on his chest as they danced.

"This has been really amazing." She whispered. "I can't believe you did all this."

"What can I say? You're worth it." He told her. Emily parted from him a little way, looking deeply into his eyes.

"I love you." She whispered to him. Mike couldn't help smiling as he cradled her head tenderly to his chest and continued to dance with her.

"I love you too." He answered.

Fin.


End file.
